‘The Father’ Theater Review: Frank Langella Meditates On Life With Dementia

What’s it like inside the mind of someone with dementia? Florian Zeller’s The Father grapples with that knotty question in The Manhattan Theater Club’s excellent new production starring Frank Langella on Broadway. In the titular role, Langellla negotiates the difficult terrain of the brain. He lives with his daughter and her husband. Or does he? Where is his watch? What’s his history? All these basic questions are raised and their answers change from scene to scene.

The Father is the winner of the Moliere Award, France’s highest honor for theater, the equivalent of the Tony. It’s easy to see why. With so many families dealing with parents with dementia, The Father hits home with many in the audience. Langella’s performance reflects the anguish and befuddlement that must surely be felt by the afflicted.

The Father opened April 16 at Broadway’s Samuel J. Friedman Theater. You can get tickets here.