In a departure from our usual presentations of facts, figures, accomplishments, and opinion, our guests Sandi Klug, Louise Thornton, and David Siever presented a one-act play by Robert Anderson entitled “I’m Herbert”. This play is one of four unrelated one-act plays that make up the 1967 script “You Know I Can’t Hear You When the Water’s Running”. Incidentally, Anderson had a lengthy list of credits including “I Never Sang for My Father” and “The Sand Pebbles”.
This two-person play is an older, happily-married couple reminiscing about their lives, both together and with former spouses, almost-spouses, and other close relationships. Both have some hearing loss, confusion about dates and names, and some dementia. The Herbert of the title is sometimes referred to by Muriel as Herbert, sometimes as Harry, sometimes as several other former men in Muriel’s (or is it Mary, or is it one of another long list of names confused in Herbert’s memory) life. The two are apparently comfortable with each other and, although they can’t agree on who did what with whom when, it appears that they are satisfied with where they are now.
To me, the play suggests that, even with declining mental and physical (e.g., hearing) capacity, it is possible for individuals to have comfortable relationships as they age. However, to another of the attendees, is seemed somewhere between insensitive and cruel to use dementia as a source of comedy. The latter notwithstanding, most of the audience seemed to enjoy the performance. It was, at a minimum, a pleasant departure from the stressful and negative aspects of the recent political season.