Alzheimer Symphony is a mesmerising and moving theatrical tour de force that has emerged from an international collaboration between artists from Switzerland, Austria and Tasmania.
Amidst his daily routines, a famous actor tries to recall the lines to Shakespeare’s King Lear, but they are starting to escape him. He develops tricks to fight his forgetfulness as it follows him into every corner of his private life. He forgets the name of his sons, cannot recognise a picture of his mother, and when he finds a sock in his soup he eats it without questioning.
As his memory increasingly eludes him, he obstinately fights with all his might but is gradually left with no choice but to embrace his new reality. Important things become unimportant, feelings become stronger than thoughts and his inner child is revived.
This beautifully wrought solo performance from Justus Neumann, an artist who is a master of his craft, is largely played from a set-piece that has been brilliantly designed to surprise and delight the audience and is perfectly accompanied by a compelling score and an elegant lighting design. Together these elements mesh with Horner and Neumann’s touching and cheekily humorous script to create a riveting night of theatre.
