Companion release to Jonatha Brooke s new musical play, written and performed by Jonatha herself and opening on Broadway at The Duke Theater on February 14, 2014. Her new project is an autobiographical journey that explores her mother s health challenges as well as the impact on Brooke as an artist and a daughter.
Seeds of this powerfully expressive project were sown two Septembers ago when Jonatha moved her mother to New York. It was quite an adventure. My mother had always been dramatic, but in her dementia, she elevated her own particular brand of theatre to a whole new level. Almost daily she would play, 'Boolie! Are you getting this down? This is good! We should make a play out of it!' Jonatha recalls. So I did. I wrote a play - it's a musical, and I've written an album of new material to accompany it. Jonatha will also be donating a part of what she raises to the Cure Alzheimer's Fund. They are a no-nonsense organization that spends every penny they make on finding a cure, she says. We have to start talking about this disease, - it's uncomfortable, - but the reality is that anybody with a brain is susceptible!
My Mother Has 4 Noses is my story, but it's everyone's story. I don't know anyone who isn't living some part of it themselves... - Jonatha