Dream of Perfect Sleep (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780881459005)

"Kevin Kautzman, an American playwright here making his British debut, has hit upon an important subject: how we deal with dementia and attendant problems, in a world where the old are growing ever larger in number...

It's difficult to describe the play without revealing the moral dilemma it poses. All I can say is that it takes the form of a fraught family reunion in which an elderly couple invite their grownup children to what looks like a Christmas dinner even though it is only mid-June. Gene, the dad, has an unspecified terminal illness, and his wife, Mary, who periodically lapses into fantasies of being a Sumerian fertility goddess, has only the shakiest grasp on reality. Together they have made a big decision which they announce to Robert, a recovering addict, and their adopted daughter, Melissa, who is into tantric healing.

...Kautzman has written a perfectly good family play, with palpable echoes of O'Neill..."

Michael Billington, The Guardian

"There is a feeling of raw truth about this play that is constantly absorbing."

Whats On Stage

"A funny, heartwarming and powerful story of hope and loss-as an elderly couple plan their last days on earth."

Broadway World

"A play that seeks to tug at your heartstrings and not overburden you with guilt and scenes of familial dysfunction."

Everything Theatre

"Witty, insightful."

Time Out

"An original insight into dementia."

Stage

"The story is moving and the questions Kautzman asks of death and aging are resounding."

A Younger Theatre

"[Kautzman] tackles serious themes without ever being heavy-handed or too earnest."

Public Reviews