Oscar nominee and Tony winner Joan Allen visited Live with Kelly & Ryan November 28 to talk about her return to Broadway for the first time in almost a decade with Kenneth Lonergan’s The Waverly Gallery.
The Manchester By the Sea and Lobby Hero scribe's story of a family dealing with the dementia and Alzheimer’s disease of their matriarch, played by Elaine May, returns to Broadway at the Golden Theatre.
“It's a painful subject matter, obviously, but there's so much love within the family and the family trying to be helpful and figure it out. It's actually a very movie and uplifting story,” Allen said.
She also shared her thoughts on sharing the stage with May: "She's extraordinary—somebody that I idolized since I was in my 20s. I can't believe I get to look into her eyes every night and say these words.”
The cast also features David Cromer and Oscar nominee Lucas Hedges in his Broadway debut.
Read: LUCAS HEDGES REUNITES WITH KENNETH LONERGAN FOR HIS BROADWAY DEBUT
“I think this show gives some people hope and not being alone, because it's a very difficult illness to navigate for an entire family.”
Allen last appeared on Broadway in the 2009 production of Impressionism. She starred in the original production of Wendy Wasserstein’s The Heidi Chronicles, which earned her a Tony nomination, and in Burn This, which earned her a Tony Award. (The upcoming revival of Burn This will play Broadway’s Hudson Theatre.)
