MOTHER PLAY Previews- Page 2

[Obsidian Shard]

Posted: 4/21/24 at 4:34pm

I'm seeing this tonight. I will report back as soon as I can.

[rachelfran]

Posted: 4/21/24 at 5:25pm

Saw it this afternoon ... incredibly emotional for me relating to so many parts of the show and characters at different times of life ... a lot to love including the performances ... not crazy about the one visual used a time or two too many and a long section towards the end with just Lange - which could be tightened up a bit. 

[Obsidian Shard]

Posted: 4/21/24 at 6:34pm

Pre-show surprise: John Waters is here.

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/21/24 at 9:13pm

Obsidian Shard said: "Pre-show surprise: John Waters is here."

I KNEW I SAW HIM WALKING DOWN 44TH EARLIER

[Andy51]

Posted: 4/21/24 at 10:12pm

Obsidian Shard said: "Pre-show surprise: John Waters is here."

Sarah Paulson was also there tonight. 

[yyys]

Posted: 4/21/24 at 10:18pm

I bet John Waters can write a better play than what he just saw.

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/21/24 at 11:30pm

Motherf…..

Yeah…this whole play was a miss for me. It felt very much like a TV Movie of the Week that “Torch Song Trilogy” did a million times better over 40 years ago. You can see Parsons characters’ queerness from space at the outset and, knowing the timeframe of the play and that CKB packing up his stuff after he died, I automatically knew we were getting an AIDS storyline. I also found cringeworthy that CKB’s lesbianism seemed to develop as a trait after she was assaulted by boys on the school bus. Vogel really should be ashamed of how lazy this story structure is.

Lange…is showboating with bad material. Some of it is funny and some of it is VERY cringey. She clearly has a drinking problem in the earlier scenes and then, all of a sudden, it seemed to resolve itself. Her scenes in disowning Parsons and CKB feel very melodramatic, teetering on “Mommie Dearest” and the treacly ending was hard to swallow. After this, I can say with high confidence that Paulson has her award on lock. 

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 4/22/24 at 12:15am

jesus christ can you maybe not spoil the entire play? 

[kurtal]

Posted: 4/22/24 at 12:22am

PipingHotPiccolo said: "jesus christ can you maybe not spoil the entire play?"

To be fair, it's very clear where everything in the play is going about five minutes into the plot.

[UWS10023]

Posted: 4/22/24 at 12:23am

I felt like this would have worked better as an Off Broadway production perhaps somewhere like the Mitzi Newhouse where the set design was sparse. I thought the writing was so so and predictable. The direction and transitions were somewhat clunky. I would have cut the 10 minutes with Jessica not saying a word for we already knew everything she was communicating. I did not understand why they were not using liquid in the drink glasses and handling them like they were empty. If the reason was that it was a memory play then why light the cigarettes or use water for the last scene. This should have been a 90 minute play with quicker transitions and some scene work cue pick ups. The furniture got in the way of things.I was up front and I could swear the actors or crew members were smoking backstage. Jesica had some very good moments especially her last scene. But there were other times she seemed to be struggling a bit. The transitions asked a lot of her. They would be difficult for anyone. Part of it was due to her being a method actress, needing to feel things. There might have been some line memorization issues where she was not reciting the exact text. She will only get better through previews. I did wish at times that I was seeing her in a better play. Parsons was unsurprising but serviceable. I never really enjoy it when adults play their characters as children. I could not wait for them to grow older.

Updated On: 4/22/24 at 12:23 AM

[Obsidian Shard]

Posted: 4/22/24 at 12:46am

Here are some quick thoughts before I crash (I’ll write more later): The cast was spectacular all around. Lange was vibrant, emotive, and captivating; Keenan-Bolger was stoic and grounding; and Parsons was waggish and endearing. I've seen a few people describe this play as cliché but clichés spring from truth. Vogel’s work here may not be her most original but it is undoubtedly personal and effectively affecting. More than a handful of times I was moved to tears, and my mother cried throughout the last third of the show. Ultimately, it's a play that's as messy as life and memory and as impactful as both. Brava!

I plan on seeing this again.

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 4/22/24 at 12:46am

kurtal said: "PipingHotPiccolo said: "jesus christ can you maybe not spoil the entire play?"

To be fair, it's very clear where everything in the play is going about five minutes into the plot."

know very little about the play- and i like it that way. people are often decent enough to go out of their way not to spoil even the smallest reveal/detail, this guy just blurted out every plot point. trash behavior (as bad as the play may be)

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/24/24 at 10:17pm

Saw this tonight and don't have too much to add to what's already been said. I agree that the performances are far better than a lot of the material, with some of it going right into pure camp. But seeing Lange on stage makes this one thousand percent worth every cent. She's truly one of the best we have and it's always a thrill seeing her in person. 

Without spoiling anything, the entire second to last segment with Parsons needs to be redone. It was pure 1985 TV movie of the week and even though some people were audibly emotional, we were almost trying not to laugh at some of it. But there is that 11 or so minutes of Lange on stage with no dialogue, really doing nothing, that's riveting. It's a true testament to what a genius can do with absolutely nothing. 

Updated On: 4/24/24 at 10:17 PM