Grandpa Sol and Grandma Rosie: a funny take on what to expect in our later years

Verbatim theatre to me is like a documentary or an interview where the names and faces have been altered to keep the people anonymous.  The characters in this show were as if you had met them before and listened to their stories. The stories besides the main character, Jackie, are real accounts from elderly people who reside at Emmy Monash Home for the aged.

Lana Schwarcz is innocently quirky, cute, high-strung and funny as fear induced Nurse Jackie. Using her honed skills as a character actor and puppets, Schwarcz plays all the other characters and this is done very well and we believe each individual to be true.

Throughout the show, Jackie takes us to her past, present and future. Her time with the residents at the nursing home opens her eyes and she sees that growing old and aging is not something to be feared.

There are many funny moments but at the same time the subject matter does resonate and you begin to have flashes of memories of your own past or future, however young or old you are.

I know a lot about this subject because my mother takes care of the elderly. It is interesting to see the parallels from Jackie’s experiences with my mother’s own accounts about the stories and funny things her clients tell her.

Our society believes that being old means the end. That is not the case at all. Yes we eventually will get to that place, but being old is not the end. Life, love and adventure still lie ahead for all of us. Grandpa Sol and Grandma Rosie show us this in an entertaining, laugh-out-loud and sweet way.
 

For showtime information go here.

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