Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Paula Vogel’s MOTHER PLAY encapsulates the many facets of familial relationships with elegant theatricality

• By drediman
• May 4, 2024
• No Comments

This past week, I also had the chance to take in Second Stage’s production of Mother Play by Paula Vogel (a Pulitzer Prize winner in 1998 for her haunting play How I Learned to Drive) at Broadway’s Helen Hayes Theatre. Set largely in the Mid-Atlantic region, the new play chronicles the turbulent relationship between two siblings — Martha and Carl (played by Celia Keenan-Bolger and Jim Parsons, respectively) — and their unstable mother Phyllis (film star Jessica Lange) over the course of several decades.

Vogel’s play does an excellent job of drawing out the many facets of familial relationships — between Martha and Carl, between each sibling and Phyllis. It’s these many subtle shadings that give Mother Play its lived in texture and watchability. The playwright also imbues her play with elegant, often playful, theatricality as it pummels through the years, from Carl and Martha’s childhood to their adulthood and beyond. The work also benefits from Tina Landau’s beguiling, stylish staging, which eloquently yet succinctly frames the proceedings.

Mother Play also shines ever so brightly in the acting department. Keenan-Bolger and Parsons are in turn heartbreaking and a joy to watch, giving generous performances that dig deep to allow their characters to fully emerge with moving vitality. As Phyllis, Lange gives one of the finest performances of her stage career. It’s a fearless, tour-de-force portrayal of a meaty, emotionally demanding role. In short, Mother Play is one Vogel’s very best works and certainly one of the most compelling plays of the season.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

MOTHER PLAY
Broadway, Play
Second Stage at the Helen Hayes Theatre
1 hour, 45 minutes (without an intermission)
Through June 16