Tuesdays with Morrie – Gaiety Theatre – Review
by Frank L

Tuesdays with Morrie – Written by Mitch Albom
DATES: 7th Apr. – 18th Apr.

Albom, with co-author Jeffrey Hatcher, adapted in 2002 his phenomenally successful 1997 memoir of the same title to the stage. In between, it had been made into a television film produced by Oprah Winfrey. The play has had many revivals throughout the world in the subsequent quarter of a century.

Mitch Albom (Fionn Foley), as an undergraduate at Brandeis University, encountered and was enchanted by one Morrie Schwartz (David Hayman), a professor of sociology. On leaving Brandeis, he promised to stay in touch, but the twists and turns in his own life made him forget that promise until he saw Morrie in 1995 on television being interviewed about his incurable, degenerative neurological disease. He remembered his promise and so managed to visit Morrie on a Tuesday. He did so on 14 more Tuesdays until Morrie’s death about six months later. At the time, he recorded their conversations and the memoir and the play are based on those conversations. They are the conversations of an experienced septuagenarian man who wants to convey to a younger man what is important in life. Given the increasing physical disabilities that Morrie faces as his organs remorselessly but slowly shut down, these conversations are conducted in the umbra of imminent death.  As Mitch pursues a time-starved, “successful” career as a sports journalist with all the trappings and restraints of a mortgaged existence in the suburbs, Morrie seeks to instil in him an important set of values. He does so with wit and charm and a degree of black humour.

Photo by Emmanuel Idongesit Samson

The set takes the format of a circular space with various domestic items such as a television and a telephone, but everything is somewhat dated to the time when Morrie was starting out in married life. Initially, the space serves as his room in Brandeis when Mitch was a student. Off to the right is an upright piano. Mitch was a talented young pianist, and as an undergraduate, that was the life he intended to follow, but circumstances had diverted him like so many others into the rat race.

The centre piece of the play is the conversations between Morrie and Mitch. Hayman, as Morrie,  portrays a body severely depleted by the inexorable advances of his ever encircling disease, but his brain remains magnificently intact. His thoughts are clear, and in his verbal jousts with Mitch, he delivers his ripostes with vigour and enthusiasm. He conveys the determination of an academic of substance who wants to discuss with Mitch, whom he knows is his last pupil, what is of value. It is his last great act as friend and teacher, and he gives it his all. The role requires the combination of an innovative and perceptive mind within a body inexorably depleting. Hayman rises magnificently to the challenge. Foley, as Mitch, is a feeder of lines to Morrie. It is a secondary role but an important one. Foley captures the persona of Mitch and his admiration of Morrie and his gratitude to him, even if he does not fully grasp what he is hearing.

The play lasts a mere ninety minutes, without an interval, so by definition it must be a substantial distillation of the actual conversations. Given the extraordinary success of the memoir, the film and the continuous revivals of the play, those distilled conversations must have struck a chord with audiences. However, one can see from a quick search on the internet that there is a minority opinion that begs to differ. My own opinion lies with the majority. Given Morrie’s circumstances, poignancy was added to the performance on the opening night after the two actors had acknowledged their applause. Foley read a tribute to fellow actor Michael Patrick, who had died earlier in the day from motor neurone disease. It placed in clearer perspective what we had experienced.