THE WAVERLY GALLERY at Golden Theater - Golden Years are hell with Elaine May and Lucas Hedges

THE WAVERLY GALLERY is the name of a defunct art gallery run for almost 30 years by Gladys Green (the incomparable Elaine May) in Greenwich Village.  She's an eccentric octogenarian teetering on senility.  The play begins with Gladys having lunch with her grandson Daniel (Lucas Hedges "Manchester by the Sea").  Gladys is garrulous, charming and ultimately exasperating.  She talks non-stop about herself and the glamorous social life she led with her previous husband; both deceased.  Gladys asks Daniel questions repeatedly.  His contained vexation with his grandma is admirable & hilarious.  Gladys tells Daniel about his paternal grandma who was, well "nuts" at the end of her life.  ACT I is set in 1989 and Gladys' non-stop prattle is maddening but tolerable by her daughter Ellen (Joan Allen), Ellen's husband Howard (David Cromer) and Ellen's son Daniel.   Gladys' loquaciousness at the family dinner table is a comedic masterpiece.  May began as a comedy duo with Mike Nichols & she's a showbiz legend.  May as well hand her the TONY for this remarkable performance.  Her comedic timing is uncanny & her dramatic turn extremely poignant.  ACT II set 2 years later paints a drastic change in Gladys.  Her dementia has deteriorated to the point where she can no longer manage on her own.  Her mind has been smashed to pieces a blank canvas.  The full-time care required is excruciatingly draining on her family.  Ellen's  anger & frustration is understandable and the situation painful for everyone.  Ellen wishes her mom would have a "peaceful death" and tells Daniel to "just shoot me when I get like this."  The running gag with hearing aids is bittersweet.  Don (Michael Cera) is a pathetic flailing painter who hangs his art & his hat in the vacant Waverly Gallery.  Don keeps insisting the family needs to adjust Gladys' hearing aids.  The owner of the gallery evicts Gladys despite the families pleas for more time.  The owner has his own plans for the space although it remains empty for the next 2 years.  Most people don't have the strength or unwilling to commit to someone whose life is fading.   Kenneth Lonergan's brilliant play was a Pulitzer Prize finalist (2001).  The play is cleverly staged.  The brick wall curtain serves as a screen between scenes showing how things have changed over the years in Greenwich Village from the 1960s to 1980s.  Daniel speaking directly to the audience is very affecting.  Allen & Hedges are excellent in their roles.  May gives a powerhouse performance.  Lonergan's brilliant play is a potent reminder to listen to each other, to remember the details and to fully embrace life.   THE WAVERLY GALLERY is a masterpiece and May is a miraculous force of nature.