ALTSCHUL: It was 20 years ago that you were writing "The Waverly Gallery." ALTSCHUL: Right. I never wanted to be a screenwriter or a director, or I didn't at first. And I immediately thought of the whole film in a way in my head, when I was watching that play. ALTSCHUL: Just getting those kinds of performances out of actors, it only happens when you've got somebody who is an actor's director who understands what it's like on both sides. (CHUCKLES) Or get anything right in life, 'cause everyone else is pursuing their own agenda, with perfect reason. I was just sitting there typing. And then they liked my writing, so they wanted me to write it. They don't come with material presented. But not for a lot of money, I don't think. I was one of his disciples. So I got to move in. But also I was trying to do with the it's always weird to talk about your own work. And my older brother was gonna move in, but then he moved to Brazil. Shes bluffing, fabricating, groping for a direction in what must often seem like a void. There was a problem previewing The Flick.pdf. / CBS News. If it was dirge it would be terrible. The Waverly Gallery, now revived on Broadway, is an early play by Kenneth Lonergan and as directed by Lila Neugebauer and upraised by Elaine Mays toweringly fragile performance, it is as quietly and ferociously sad as anything he has ever produced. Why? Or is it still all blended together? And it's a very big world. And so that's who you're dealing with, and they have to be treated with that respect at the same time you have to take care of them. Unless it's a sensationalist story, in which case it's great. And it's unfortunate, 'cause people kind of hasten an end that's inevitable and doesn't have to be quite as separate. You can know a lot more about them they you might know about a character that you have invented. Ink Apr 24, 2019 Jul 07, 2019 . And that's the other thing that I'm interested in, anyway, is that a lot of these big situations come down to practicalities, like who can be there at 5:00? My mind was kinda wandering. LONERGAN: I'm trying to work, yes. So there was an evening about faith, whatever it meant to you. And I do like that. LONERGAN: Who knows? What if the sister in the one act had a son, and the brother, who's a bit irresponsible, formed a relationship with him and then kind of let him down a lot?" And it works fine. LONERGAN: You know, you can turn the lights on and off, (LAUGHTER) if someone walks in or out. I'd say it's much more work in a funny way, 'cause as a playwright you can do the writing and pass it on to others, and hang around nervously to see if it turns out the way you wanted it to. Because Matt Damon and John Krazinski came to me with the idea for the story. ALTSCHUL: And you were caring for her, in some ways, during that time? "Doubt" by John Patrick Shanley. (LAUGHS) 'Cause they don't really need you telling them everything all the time. LONERGAN: But that's the system. She was just the smartest person I've ever met. They come in quite a lot, and they have a big job to do. But that's actually the most complicated thing to do, is to have people simply talking. And I was able to write plays and do what I wanted for three years. Or you're in a great mood and it's a rainy day. In this extended transcript of an interview with "Sunday Morning" correspondent Serena Altschul, the playwright and Oscar-winning screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan talks about the origin of his 2000 play "The Waverly Gallery," currently presented on Broadway in a critically-acclaimed revival starring Elaine May, as well as his experiences, positive and negative, in the world of film. LONERGAN: I think because it was painful. Robert Massimi. the waverly gallery monologue. Who kinda guided you there? First published on November 11, 2018 / 10:16 AM. Even if initially they were making a mistake. For whatever reason that passage wasn't actable. You had early success in the film business. I think this happens a lot. She's really funny. I wasn't, like, a saint, spending all my time taking care of her. ALTSCHUL: And it gives you confidence. She's a great actor. She is one of five stellar cast members, notably Lucas . Although she'd be very happy for me. LONERGAN: Well, I try to recreate actual human speech as best I can. While The Waverly Gallery was always a star vehicle (Eileen Heckert, who created the role, was superb both in the Berkshire and Off-Broadway productions I saw), it also relies on its ensemble to make Gladys's family a vital part of her story. The show is able to balance the painful situation with the humor her family finds in the darkest times. LONERGAN: Yeah. (LAUGHTER). No idea. I don't think it was too much to cope, I was. I wanted to be a playwright, but you can't make any money as a playwright unless you're a very big deal. Well, now that I've directed these three films, I really do think of myself as a director, as a filmmaker also. It takes place in 1989, it's based on my grandmother and my family,. So there was an evening about faith, whatever it meant to you. We'll just set them up in this . "The Waverly Gallery" is a memory play told by Daniel, who addresses us from the front of the stage. 252 W. 45th St., New York, NY. ALTSCHUL: So "Manchester by the Sea" was profoundly sad, disturbing, moving, emotional, let's just say very, very sad. LONERGAN: Mistakes. It's just you have to invent less when you're using real life. It also takes place on the Upper West Side, where I grew up. In her information and humor filled opening monologue, Ms. Heckart manages to not only fill us in on the family history but to give us a . Just a lot of borrowing and drawing on from all sorts of places. She was a really good friend, so I always feel funny calling her a teacher or a mentor, but she that also. But the idea was to write a script and sell it, and let them do to it whatever they were gonna do to it, but make some money. In that case I kind of knew what the main relationship was, what the ending would be, and what the structure of the events was going to be. I mean, who knows? Like, you're stuck, stuck, stuck on one word, and then there's an adjacent word that you figure out and it gives you one letter to the word you don't have. I thought maybe I would use them for something else someday. Neither is watching Kenneth Lonergan's latest play The Waverly Gallery. So it's easy to walk away from. And I was watching a play, it had a little kid in it. It is considered a "memory play". In a funny way, your memories of something you're using directly, if you're pulling actual memories or experiences into the material, and pulling invented people and events into the material, in a funny way it's the same function. The Waverly is a pet-friendly community. Very closely. As near perfect as the performances are, the physical production occasionally lets them down. Between Riverside and Crazy: Wild and Wonderful New York Story And she'd know when you weren't quite doing it the way it wanted to be done. ALTSCHUL: Oh my gosh. Anyone can read what you share. She was somehow connected in with real estate, as she always found apartments for everyone, her friends and family I mean. ALTSCHUL: You know, "This Is Our Youth," it's a play, it's young people, and it's just talking. He has served as Director of the Geriatric . As a screenwriter (You Can Count on Me, Manchester by the Sea) and dramatist (This Is Our Youth, Lobby Hero), Mr. Lonergan has always portrayed human communication as an imperfect compromise. [4][5][6] The play closed on January 27, 2019 after 109 performances.[7]. And then I also noticed, not to be immodest, that I often had an idea about how the scene could be played out. We're kinda thinking this is the story." People really work hard to help take care of their loved ones everywhere, all over the world. And so they basically come to you with their problems, and then also say, "And if you have other problems with the script, you know, let us know what you think, and maybe we should address those, too.". The play explores her fight to retain her independence and the subsequent effect of her decline on her family, especially her grandson. And then the fact when people put their faith in you, sometimes you try to live up to it. You know, kind of the rug's pulled out from under you before you're ready, and before it needs to be. There's a character who's a painter who's inspired by a real guy, but his personality bears no resemblance to the real guy, who I didn't know that well. When does a young man decide, "I'm going to try directing now. Morrissey May 02, 2019 May 11, 2019 . Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. And you know, you have this information about the person in the back of your head while you're writing the person's dialogue. They give you backup and depth. I think more the '50s. I like it. ALTSCHUL: So the two rewrites were scrapped and . For more detail on fees and restrictions, visit our website or give us a call. It takes place in 1989, it's based on my grandmother and my family, and it's about her last years trying to hold onto her life and her gallery as she kind of slips away. The action, set between 1989-1991, and staged by rising director Lila Neugebauer (The Wolves), shifts back and forth from Gladys's tiny gallery on Waverly Place to the Upper West Side apartment of her daughter, Ellen (Joan Allen, The Heidi Chronicles, as good as gold), and Ellen's husband, Howard Fine (David Cromer, Our Town, excellent).We also visit Gladys's Village apartment, next door . Yeah, I'm sure that's true. It's very painful to put someone you love in a hospital or a nursing home, which is essentially a hospital. THE WAVERLY GALLERY PDF >> DOWNLOAD THE WAVERLY GALLERY PDF >> READ ONLINE the waverly gallery play pdf the waverly gallery tickets the waverly gallery monologue the waverly gallery review the waverly gallery analysis the waverly gallery script pdf the waverly gallery final monologue the waverly gallery broadway. I wish I had had that realization before I went into it. They don't understand that they don't understand. I was outta college, and was living in an apartment on Bank Street that I was subletting from my brother-in-law. . A scene from Kenneth Lonergan's "The Waverly Gallery." The Waverly Gallery opened October 25, 2018, at the John Golden Theatre. Or this six characters? But this is a tragedy, even if it is a minor one, and its a tragedy familiar to anyone who has seen dementia up close. A young man decide, `` I 'm trying to work,.. Too much to cope, I do n't understand that they do n't that! Retain her independence and the subsequent effect of her an apartment on Street! Do n't think quot ; Doubt & quot ; memory play & quot ; by John Patrick Shanley own! A playwright unless you 're using real life: so the two were! Were scrapped and I 've ever met and John Krazinski came to me the. Was too much to cope, I do n't understand that they do n't understand that do... Kenneth lonergan 's `` the Waverly Gallery. was too much to cope, I was outta,! 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