At some point, Alzheimer’s impacts everyone in one way or another. How I Murdered My Mother is a shocking title, but don’t be dismayed by it. In this touching and insightful one-man show, written and performed by Gerald Williams, he discusses how he had to “murder” (essentially forget) the version of his mom that was affected by Alzheimer’s, so he could focus on loving the real version of his mom in her final days.
Directed by Amber Scott, and currently playing at the Vancouver Fringe Festival, Williams’ presentation is intimate, but very casual – the vibe is very comfortable, despite the heavy subject matter. The show takes place in one of the rooms at the Carousel Theatre, where Williams stands at the front and speaks about both his parents’ lives and his relationships with them, with the aid of projection slides that include a ton of photos from throughout the years.
Williams is natural, conversational, funny, and beautifully genuine in this one-hour presentation. He begins by explaining how a few years ago, his parents, who were both in their late 80’s at the time, moved from Calgary to live with him and his husband in Vancouver. His parents were both at the tail end of their lives, and essentially moved in with the couple to spend their final few years.
While the focus of the show is dealing with his mother’s Alzheimer’s condition, in order to paint a fuller picture with necessary context, Williams walks us through both his parents’ lives, and his own.
Williams’ presentation is so interesting and sincere that the hour flies by. At the end, he allows for questions from the audience, and at the performance I attended, there were quite a few questions and Gerald happily answered them all. And even though audience questions weren’t asked until the end, because of how conversational the presentation was, it felt like the entire show was a conversation. We may as well have been in Gerald’s living room.
How I Murdered My Mother is a moving, thought-provoking look at how to celebrate the memories we have of our loved ones and honour their lives with grace.
How I Murdered My Mother, presented by Tomo Suru Players, is currently playing at the 2022 Vancouver Fringe Festival, which runs until September 18. Visit the Fringe Festival’s website for more information.