fbpx

Current Student & Staff Login

One Last Waltz by Luke Adamson

Alice is becoming more and more forgetful. Her daughter Mandy is always on hand to help out but the strain is becoming too much. A long forgotten photograph stirs a memory and lures Alice back to the Crown Hotel in Blackpool. Hoping for a chance to dance in the tower ballroom one last time. Mother and daughter set out, but Blackpool isn’t how Alice remembers and things become too much for her as she finds herself getting lost in the past.

About the production

Black Coffee Theatre are delighted to return to The Hope Theatre with their new show following their successful production of Found earlier in the year. One Last Waltz is supported by The Alzheimer's Society and Arts Council England and comes to London following a national tour.

About the play

One Last Waltz is written by Black Coffee Theatre’s very own Luke Adamson based on his experiences dealing with his Grandad’s diagnosis of Alzheimers. He says:

“One Last Waltz is my way of using humour and emotion to try and signpost the things to look out for that could indicate Alzheimer’s Disease. I remembered once seeing an advert about Alzheimer’s that said “the earlier we spot it, the more of your loved one we can save” that always stuck with me but when it happened to us we didn’t know what we were looking out for! A lot of the content in the play is based on real life instances, some of the dialogue even lifted verbatim from actual conversations I’ve had. Some is, of course, embellished for the stage, some is complete fabrication.

The other thing was I wanted to do was write a play for older actresses. There’s such a dearth of interesting roles for them, so that was a challenge for myself as well. I wanted to write a handful of interesting older female characters and the two went together quite nicely.”

Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia, affecting around 496,000 people in the UK and is predicted to affect 1 in 85 people globally by 2050. Based on real life events and experiences, this funny and touching new play explores the difficulties in coming to terms with the disease.

This funny and moving new play deals with coming to terms with Alzheimer’s disease. When Alice finds a long forgotten photograph discarded in a box it stirs memories of the great holidays she used to have in Blackpool, the entertainment, the people, the dancing. Her daughter Mandy suggests they take a trip so that Alice can have One Last Waltz in the Tower Ballroom but Alice seems to be having trouble with her memory.

One particular episode sparks Alice into action and they set off to Blackpool, but things don’t go quite to plan. The hotel isn’t how Alice remembers, the eccentric manager seems to be doing everything she can to make their stay awkward, Alice has forgotten to pack certain things and when she sets out into Blackpool on her own things become too much for her and she finds herself getting lost in the past.

Event information

Dates and times:  

9-14 Nov 7.45pm 
14 Nov Matinee at 3.30pm

Venue:

The Hope Theatre
207 Upper Street, Islington, N1 1RL

Tickets:

£14 (Concession £12)

Book now