Florian Zeller, born June 28th 1979, is a French Novelist, playwright and film director. He won the Prix Interallié for his 2004 novel ‘The Fascination Of Evil.’ His plays include ‘The Height Of The Storm’ , ‘The Mother’, ‘The Son’ and ‘The Truth’.

‘The Father’ in its original French production premiered at the Theatre Hebertot, Paris on 30th September 2012, taking the Molière award for best play of the year.

The English translation by Christopher Hampton, starring Kenneth Cranham first played at the Ustinov studio, Theatre Royal Bath in October 2014, then transferred to the Tricycle Theatre, London in 2015. Revived again in 2016 in the West End at the Wyndhams, then the Duke of York’s Theatre. Zeller wrote and directed the 2020 film ‘The Father’, based on his own play. Starring Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Coleman with Anthony Hopkins taking the Academy award for best actor.

 

Alzheimer’s is a neurological disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens attacking the physical brain. It mostly affects the over 70s'. Whilst each case is unique to the individual; as it advances, symptoms include disorientation, loss of memory, hallucinations, language problems and personality changes. It may manifest no physical deterioration until later in the disease. There is no known cure. As more of us are living longer it is becoming more common, affecting some 900,000 in the UK alone.

Increasingly literature and drama attempt to tackle the subject. This demands a strong sense of responsibility for writers, directors and actors to not merely become voyeurs. The arts have always sought to allow us into the minds of others. However, this condition make understanding terrifyingly impenetrable. If our minds are the seat of our identity, this illness impacts our thinking about identity itself. If we are not ‘ourselves’ then what are we? It appears a particularly cruel violation. Pushing the limits of love and patience of the human we know.

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‘The Father’ is subtitled ‘a tragic farce’. The humour is bleak but still present. We see all events from the perspective of André, an 80-year -old man. We share his uncertainty of the shifting events in the play. To André, everything has become absolutely ludicrous. The miscommunication and absurdity he experiences are reminiscent of farce. We have no reliable narrator, no coherent or chronological progression of events. Does the action take place in André’s flat or at his daughter Anne’s home? Why is all the furniture disappearing? Is Anne leaving to live in London or staying with him? Where is his other beloved daughter Elise? Time is no longer a stable reality. Scenes are replayed in alternative settings by different actors playing the same character. We too, are at a loss as to what to believe.