An aging mother’s health teeters on the brink. Her adult daughter scrambles to find footing as her role shifts from child to authority figure. Death pounds at the door and they both wonder, could someone this pissed off actually be dying?
Through an interdisciplinary blend of music, movement and theatrical storytelling, The Undertaking portrays end-of-life care of an elder using Dmitri Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 2, played live by local classical ensemble Northwest Piano Trio. Incorporating original text by playwright Emily Gregory along with the classical score, The Undertaking alternates between movement and original tragicomic scenes to tell the story of the complicated questions which come with caregiving (and receiving).
JoAnn Johnson, Beth Thompson and the musicians of Northwest Piano Trio team up for an unforgettable dance-drama. “Johnson and Thompson do an incredible job of illustrating the complex relationship between parent and child,” says Broadway World, calling it “painful and beautiful.”