The Waverly Gallery is a play by Kenneth Lonergan. It is considered a “memory play”. The show, first produced Off-Broadway in 2000, The play was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2001.
A powerfully poignant and often hilarious play, The Waverly Gallery is about the final years of a generous, chatty, and feisty grandmother’s final battle against Alzheimer’s disease. Gladys is an old-school lefty and social activist and long time owner of a small art gallery in Greenwich Village. The play explores her fight to retain her independence and the subsequent effect of her decline on her family, especially her grandson. More than a memory play, The Waverly Gallery captures the humour and strength of a family in the face of crisis. The play opened Off-Broadway at the Promenade Theater on March 22, 2000 and closed on May 21, 2000. Directed by Scott Ellis, the play starred Eileen Heckart as Gladys Green and Josh Hamilton as Daniel. The play originally premiered at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, running from August 11, 1999 to August 22, 1999. Joanne Woodward filled in for an ailing Eileen Heckart in the final four performances. The play to premiere on Broadway in Sept 2018 in a production starring Elaine May, Michael Cera, and Lucas Hedges.
John Golden Theatre