Robert Tanitch reviews Plaques and Tangles at Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
The big question is if you have a 50-50 chance of developing early onset Alzheimer’s, would you want to take a genetic test to find out?
And when I say early, I mean in your forties? Or would you prefer not to know?
If you don’t have the gene, you get your life back. But if you find out you do have the gene, you would have time to prepare yourself – and for your family also to prepare themselves.
Monica Dolan as the woman in her forties in Nicola Wilson’s play has a tremendous outburst: “I want to communicate something but I can’t because suddenly the connection doesn’t exist any more. I can’t think. I still feel. And most of the time I feel scared because it is too soon… I feel lonely because everyone talks about me like I’ve already gone.”
You may find Plaques and Tangles too near to home, too depressing and too heavy-going. The action is spread over 26 years, constantly jumping back and forth, with two actors playing the young and old selves
You may also feel that you have recently seen more than enough plays and films about Alzheimer’s.
However, If you want see one really good play on the subject I would opt for Kenneth Cranham in Florian Zeller’s The Father which I reviewed at the Tricycle Theatre and which has now transferred to Wyndham’s Theatre
And If you want to see one good film it would have to be Julianne Moore inStill Alice, which is available on DVD.
To learn more about Robert Tanitch and his reviews, click here to go to his website
