"Norman and Beatrice" is an uncommon and uncommonly beautiful play: a love story not focused on sprightly passion or sanguine striving but rather on quiet endurance and unwavering loyalty. Barbara Hammond paints a penetrating portrait of extraordinary human connection at a time of life when the deterioration of body and mind pushes all toward disconnection.
"Norman & Beatrice," a new play by Barbara Hammond, is subtitled "A Marriage in Two Acts," and this indeed it is: a slice-of-life portrait of a couple as they become familiar with each other through a half century. The onset of Alzheimer's disease in the husband provides an opportunity for Ms. Hammond to celebrate the love and caring that inhere in a happy, 54-year-young marriage.
...a wistful acknowledgment of little tragedies and challenges in even the most loving relationships.
... a sweetly heartbreaking look at a marriage that endures for more than half a century. The titular couple's story is told in reverse, with Act I taking place in their kitchen on a snowy Sunday morning in 2001, and ACT II on the same kind of day in 1947, when the pair has been married only three months....here's a story of love that lasts.
Barbara Hammond's elegantly powerful new work spans 50 years as it offers two bittersweet servings from a loving couple's life together. ... moving and heartbreaking...
Yes, this is a fun play: there are moments that are quite funny. And yes, it is a sad play: there are moments of poignancy that will stop your breath. I guess it’s like Life, a life from which the playwright has skillfully drawn.... Kudos to Synapse Productions for bringing Norman & Beatrice to life. I have a feeling this play will not be forgotten.
...It is startling and heartening to see humor brought into a play about dementia. The topic, when addressed at all, is usually handled with a focus on the tragedy of losing ones’ identity, and the heartbreak of having to take care of those who once took care of everyone else......
Ms. Hammond has written a simple, honest, and beautiful account of what Alzheimer’s does, and doesn’t, change.