Home #Hwoodtimes Dark comedy about Alzheimer’s to make California stage debut in Palm Springs

Dark comedy about Alzheimer’s to make California stage debut in Palm Springs

By staff

A play on the impact of Alzheimer’s disease on families is set to open next month in Palm Springs.

Revolution Stage Company is hosting the California premiere of “The Woman in the Mirror” — “a dark comedy about navigating Alzheimer’s with love, laughter, and wine (that) takes audiences on an inspirational journey filled with laughter, wit, and the resilience required when facing extraordinary and unexpected circumstances,” according to theater organizers.

Adapted from Dayna Steele’s best-selling book “Surviving Alzheimer’s with Friends, Facebook, and a Really Big Glass of Wine,” the one-woman play is about the author’s reaction to her mom’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. The show chronicles Steele’s experiences caring for her mother and is a heartwarming story filled with humor and inspiration, theater organizers said in a statement.

“Steele began posting online, detailing the family’s alarming, sometimes humorous struggles, turning it into a therapeutic community of support and information encompassing thousands of followers,” according to theater organizers. Steele’s refreshing honesty, laced with biting humor, is a beacon of strength and resiliency. Her play is not only a theatrical triumph but also a living on-stage caregiver’s manual.”

The Houston Press called the play “charming, oddly inviting, and a love letter to an often-unsung group of people: caregivers.”

Steele is a Texas rock radio hall of famer and accomplished speaker, bringing her personal and professional expertise in storytelling to the stage as the play’s stage performer.

Director Laura Stearns is an actor, singer, and director whose career spans decades in professional theater in Minneapolis, including 12 years at the Guthrie Theater.

Performances at Revolution Stage Company take place March 10-31. Ticket prices are $25, $35 or a $45 VIP Meet & Greet “with a really big glass of wine.”

Preview performances are scheduled for March 8-9. All seats cost $20.

Tickets are available for purchase at www.revolutionstagecompany.com.

Revolution Stage Company is located at 611 S. Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs near Revivals and can be reached at 760-318-4115.

“When it comes to Alzheimer’s, if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry,” theater organizers said.