Velocity of Autumn

On Broadway at the Booth Theatre

 
-ve.loc.i.ty noun 1 C: the rate of change of position along a straight line with respect to time: the derivative of position with respect to time. The meaning here, I believe, is very much related to growing old. It begins and ends on one simple set. Nothing up my sleeve, no rabbit in my hat. A living room in Brooklyn that has been occupied by Alexandra, played to perfection by Estelle Parsons, for the last umpteen years, a tree, a mother, a son, and about 100 bottles of Molotov cocktails. The entire dialogue are her sons (one in the room and one outside in the car) trying to convince their aging mother that it's time to leave the confines of her home, and move into a more suitable living arrangement.

Having dealt with the issue of aging parents and having to make some rather difficult decisions for and with them, this story really hits home. I also think it's an eye opener for the younger generation of what lies ahead for them. This is not something you can buy an insurance policy to fix. This process requires a lot of patience, understanding, and compassion. I always said that they teach you how to read and write in school, about the birds and the bees, how to balance your checkbook, and how to get a job, but nobody ever tells how to deal with your parents as they begin the backward journey home. 

Parsons is now 86 years old. She was very unsteady on her feet, and it's hard to tell if it's real or acting. I hope it's the latter. Also, the good part about playing an older woman and being an older woman is that you could probably forget your lines and nobody would even notice. Although, with this dialogue, I find it hard to believe that she missed one beat. So we were all excited about Estelle Parsons in this role and pretty much knew she was going to steal the show, which she did! What I wasn't prepared for was how very powerful Stephen Spinella, who plays the son, Chris, would be. He had some very grand delivery of lengthy proportion. His character is quite mousy so his explosiveness at varying intervals was really really impressive.

 
A continued theme throughout this production is the quest to be free and one most beautiful line, which I may not remember completely, (I need to start taking notes) was something to the effect that there is beauty in the undoing of something. I'm keeping that one. I may not have the words perfect but the meaning in this context was that of acceptance for this feisty mama! So starting life and ending life are both things of beauty.
 

From the very funny opening scene to the perfectly wonderful heart melting ending, this was a complete success for me. There are so many good plays out this year. The Tony committee are going to have their work cut out for them! ThisbroadSway says get your ticket today and go jump right into this big pile of lovely leaves. -thisbroadSway 4/18/2014