‘They say we’re like swans. Ruddy beautiful graceful things on the surface of a lake but underneath we’re paddling like mad.’
Maggie and Gordon first met, dancing to Rod Stewart songs, in 1971. Now in their sixties, and still very much in love, they’ve been finishing each other’s songs all their marriage.
But now Maggie is feeling foggy and some days the songs are all she can remember. Her son and his new girlfriend are coming to dinner, and her best friend is asking questions.
Frances Poet’s play Maggie May is an extraordinary drama about an ordinary family who must balance the challenges of daily life whilst living with dementia.
A heartfelt and inspiring story of hope, it was first produced in 2020 by Leeds Playhouse, Curve Theatre, Leicester, and Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, directed by Jemima Levick. It was a finalist for the 2020-21 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.
‘A glorious piece of theatre; a funny, furious and moving exploration of how dementia affects families… Frances Poet’s words dance from page to stage, her prose is visceral, precious and considered’
— The Stage
‘A moving study of the impact of dementia’
— WhatsOnStage
‘Gorgeous and genuinely touching’
— Reviews Hub
‘A deft, sharp-witted drama… a sharply observed set of character studies’
— Guardian
