Three-and-a-half years ago, Jonatha Brooke, 46, moved her mother to New York City to live with her. “My mother was in the mid-stages of Alzheimer’s. I had no idea what I was getting into,” Jonatha admits. In her blog she wrote, “My mom had always been dramatic, but in her dementia she elevated her own particular brand of theater to a whole new level. Almost daily she would say, ‘BOOLIE! [Jonatha’s nickname] Are you getting this down? This is GOOD. We should make a PLAY out of it!’ ”
So Jonatha did. She wrote a musical and an album called “My Mother Has 4 Noses,” which opened at The Duke on 42nd Street in February to rave reviews. Jonatha already has raised $5,000 for Cure Alzheimer’s Fund with her Pledge Music campaign—a fan-funding project that also paid for her album and early workshops of the play. She continues to raise awareness for Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, which she calls “a no-nonsense organization that spends every penny they make on finding a cure.” Jonatha’s mother passed away in 2012, but thanks to “4 Noses,” her memory will live on forever. To find out more, visit http://4noses.org/home.