There are many ways to cope with the deaths of loved ones – through mourning, by doing charitable works, and reminiscing, to name a few.
For those grieving the December 25, 2024, accidental deaths of the four members of the Goldstein family, the Newton Theatre Company’s (NTC) Monologue Project will provide another way to remember and honor them, in a presentation on May 31.
Since 2017, NTC’s series, The Monologue Project, has sought to “bring the community together through the power of personal storytelling.” This year, the Monologue Project event on May 31 will “celebrate the lives of these four incredible friends with stories, songs, and memories,” according to NTC.
On December 25, the Goldsteins — Matthew, 52; his wife Lyla, 54; and their children Valerie, 22, and Violet, 19 — died from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning in their vacation home in Wakefield, New Hampshire. Police had been called to the home after the four did not come to a family gathering, Fig City News previously reported. According to the CDC, “Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless gas that kills without warning. It claims the lives of hundreds of people every year and makes thousands more ill.”
Shortly after their deaths, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller issued a statement offering her condolences and saying that “the hearts of people across Newton are broken by the tragic loss of our neighbors Matthew and Lyla Goldstein and their daughters Valerie and Violet.”
The Goldsteins and NTC
In a recent interview, NTC artistic director Melissa Bernstein said, “I think we’re all, so many of us, still in shock [about this] unfathomable tragedy.”
For years, she and other members of the nonprofit theater group worked closely with some of the Goldstein family members during several performances.
Since Valerie Goldstein had co-directed two previous Monologue Project events and participated in a third, Bernstein said that inviting loved ones to speak about the family during this year’s event “seemed like exactly the right thing to do.”
Bernstein has heard from a wide array of people who were touched by the family and are hoping to attend and participate. These include fellow actors, college friends, former teachers, people from the Brookline Public Schools where Matt Goldstein taught, and others. Bernstein encourages those who had a connection with the Goldsteins to get in touch with her at melissa@newtontheatrecompany.com if they’d like to participate.
Monologue Project on May 31
On May 31, attendees are welcome to arrive at the Hyde Bandstand in Newton Highlands, starting at 6PM, before monologues, songs, and other tributes begin at 7PM.
The bandstand is the “perfect place for the community to get together” to reminisce about the family members who “were so creative and so kind,” said Bernstein.
If there is inclement weather, they will move inside to a location that will be announced on the NTC website closer to May 31.
Giving voice to memories
Elaine Goldberg, the Goldsteins’ neighbor and friend for 18 years, watched their children grow up together and recalled getting the devastating news of their deaths on December 26.
The Goldbergs’ son Connor was Valerie’s close friend, and Valerie encouraged him to participate with her in theater programs.
“The potential of these girls was just extraordinary,” said Goldberg.
“One of my favorite memories is directing Val and Matt in Pinocchio together,” said Bernstein previously. “We did it in a commedia dell’arte style – only four actors and many masks. Matt and Val were brilliant. …Lyla and Violet were always there with enthusiastic support, cheering Matt and Valerie on and enjoying every moment.”
When Goldberg was asked what she thought of the decision to dedicate this year’s Monologue Project to the family, she said, “I thought it was fitting. … I believe it could be very healing for the community,” since so many people knew and loved them.
While loved ones have held vigils in their memories, the Monologue Project will focus on celebrating their lives and what they meant to the Newton community.
