NOW A FEATURE FILM STARRING SHEILA MCCARTHY, AMANDA BRUGEL, AND MARY WALSH. www.dancingontheelephant.com
Edna wants to escape her Cape Breton retirement home because she has alienated everyone, insisting she had affairs with their now deceased husbands. She conscripts newby Nora to be an accessory to the crime. The duo’s observations about why it’s better to have a male nurse give you a bath, or how to stay wasted so the nurse doesn't notice their dementia adds to their quest to regain agency in their own lives.
Overcoming nasty Nursey, they make good on their great escape only to be returned by Nora’s son, Damn Kenny, but not before Edna steals his towels, lamp and a wax removal kit which she wants to try out on her lady bits.
Chair exercise, carpet bowling, and incessant, weekly Ceilidhs illustrate the absurdism of growing old, but each gains confidence from the other to take on their fears. As Edna's dementia progresses, she lives in the past more and more and we see a glimpse of her life. Nora must step up as the leader and take on Nursey, who in turn becomes a better caregiver and mother because of the two women.
Produced by Theatre Baddeck, Nova Scotia, 2018Â
Lost & Found Theatre, Waterloo, ON
Daisy Productions, Toronto ON
Fly Away Productions, Wilmot ON
Keywords: Elephant, comedy, 3 hander, movie, McCarthy, Walsh, Brugel, dementia, retirement, old ladies, seniors
Genre: Dramedy
Running Time: 80 minutes
Acts: 2
Content note: Contains mild swearing and passing reference to abortion
Cast size: 3 actors
Female Cast: 3
Casting note: Two characters are in their 70's. Playwright suggests casting younger actors and aging up if so desired. Characters can be of any race.