Tyne Daly in World Premiere of Terrence McNally Play

[BCP 2]

Posted: 6/13/13 at 4:11pm

BE THE FIRST TO SEE THE WORLD PREMIERE OF MOTHERS AND SONS STARRING TYNE DALY!

NOW-JUNE 23rd ONLY AT THE BUCKS COUNTY PLAYHOUSE IN NEW HOPE, PA!

This world premiere play by four time Tony Award®- winning playwright Terrence McNally ( Master Class, Ragtime) starring Tony and Emmy® Award-winner Tyne Daly, is the story of the mother of a young man who died from AIDS and his partner at the time of her son's death. In the many years since they last met, both their lives have changed - more than either of them could have possibly imagined. This new play asks us to consider how far we have come as a society in need of healing and how far we still have to go.

The cast also includes Tony Award nominee Manoel Felciano, Tony Award nominee Bobby Steggert, and Grayson Taylor.

This production is directed by Tony Award nominee Sheryl Kaller.

Click Here For Info And Tickets

[perfectliar]

Posted: 6/13/13 at 7:41pm

Going tomorrow!

[breathyfemalevocal]

Posted: 6/14/13 at 10:33pm

Hey, perfectliar, I hope you were being truthful about seeing Mothers and Sons tonight at Bucks County and that you'll give us some feedback (or anyone who has seen this since it began yesterday.) I'm seriously considering the trip for next week and would appreciate reviews.

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 6/14/13 at 11:33pm

My friend was going to come down from nyc to see this tonight but those plans fell through, I'm curious to hear how it is!

[perfectliar]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 12:59am

I did go tonight, and it was a great experience! I moved to New Hope less than a year ago and haven't seen anything at the BCP since it was renovated. To start with, the theatre looks gorgeous now. The house was a little over half full, and I was pleasantly surprised that the producing director introduced both Terrence McNally and Christopher Durang as "distinguished attendees." Both got a healthy round of applause before the show began.

As a whole, I really loved the play and the performances. As with most McNally plays, it is short on plot and heavy on interpersonal drama and emotion. Katherine (Tyne Daly) drops in unexpectedly on her dead son's former lover, Cal (Manoel Felciano) at his Park Avenue apartment. She has come to deliver an item to Cal which she wants him to have: her son, Andre's, journal. Andre passed twenty years ago of AIDS, a fact that Katherine hasn't yet fully accepted. Cal moved on and is currently living with his husband (not partner, boyfriend, or lover), Will (Bobby Steggert) and their precocious six year old. As the visit progresses, Katherine opens up a ton of old wounds for Cal, but we discover there is something behind her cold demeanor and political incorrectness that she needs to express before she can properly grieve for Andre.

Tyne Daly is stunning, as usual. McNally has written a rather complex character in Katherine; she is outwardly inexpressive but has so much pain and guilt bottled up that she begins to crack even before she vocalizes it. There's a lot left unsaid about Katherine, but we can see why Andre could simultaneously love and reject her, much like she did to her son. Manoel Felciano, however, stole the show for me. He has been putting on a brave face for two decades, trying to find a balance between honoring Andre's memory and not letting it consume his new relationship. Felciano has both the most funny and the most heartbreaking moments. Steggert doesn't get as much to do as his co-stars, but he's not a weak link by any means. One of my criticisms is just that his character be expanded; his relationship with Cal isn't really explored. We're told a good deal about how they met, how they conceived, etc, but the structure of the play doesn't allow much interaction between the two actors or between Steggert and Daly.

Additionally, the play needs some more meat. It ran only 75 minutes, no intermission, so by the time it was over, it felt a little incomplete. There is so much more than can be done with Andre's journal and with expanding the interactions between characters other than Katherine and Cal. Andre's memory pervades the entirety of Mothers and Sons, so it seems a disservice to his character to not get more of his voice in the journal entries. It's a bit hard to feel wholly sympathetic for either Katherine or Cal without understanding who Andre was. After all, he was their only connection and the entire reason they are brought together. Still, McNally masterfully interweaves some very deep, interesting, and emotional themes of familial relationships (both given and chosen), identity, grief, and survivor's guilt. The play needs some work, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it's a very affecting night at the theatre. Plus, it's wonderful to see such talented and celebrated actors collaborating on a brand new work right in my backyard.

If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them.

[egnarotsew]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 1:16am

Thanks for posting. I'm seeing this tomorrow and very much looking forward to it.

[welcometothetheater]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 1:58am

It sounds like this play is directly connected to McNally's short one-act and subsequent film Andre's Mother. Can anyone comment who saw the original play or film? Fascinating that he's revisiting these characters, if indeed he is, in a "sequel" of sorts. Thanks for the review, perfectliar. Regarding the original one-act (I've only read it) couldn't have been more than ten minutes long, so maybe he likes telling this story in short chunks.

[Musical Director 109]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 5:57am

I thought the same thing about"Andre's Mother", which I took to the Bucks County High School drama festival. Is this show its sequel?

[perfectliar]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 11:53am

Just from reading the synopsis of Andre's Mother, it sounds like a sequel. Mothers and Sons often references Andre's memorial service, and it's stated that that was the last time Katherine and Cal had seen each other.

[April Saul]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 2:28pm

I'm going tomorrow with a discount code! Psyched...and will post afterward

[AC126748]

Posted: 6/16/13 at 10:14am

I have family in Lambertville, NJ, just across the bridge from New Hope, so I'm catching the Thursday matinee before meeting them for dinner this week. Loving Bucks County Playhouse for their non-traditional matinee times!

[April Saul]

Posted: 6/16/13 at 11:48pm

I got very lucky today! Not only did I get to see the play--which I loved and brought me to tears--but I got to participate in a talkback with McNally, director Sheryl Kaller, and all the actors with the exception of Tyne Daly, who is just magnificent in this.

Wow...I know it's a work in progress but what blew me away the most was that at a time when I find myself after so many NYC productions wishing that the playwright had cut 10, or 20, or even 30 minutes from the work, this one makes you want more.

Yes, it is a sequel to Andre's Mother, which is not required viewing to appreciate this. McNally explained that after a quarter-century and so much positive change re: the gay community, he wanted to revisit these people. He wrote it specifically with Daly, Feliciano and Steggert in mind, will be attending all the performances at Bucks, and seemed genuinely interested in any changes we thought he ought to make.

I hadn't been to the Bucks County Playhouse since I was a little girl and they couldn't have been nicer. I'd spent a fair amount of time agonizing about which class of seat I ought to pay for (there are discounts even though the regular prices are not that bad) and I needn't have worried. The house was only a bit over half-full and without being asked, the house manager was invited everyone to move down as close to the stage as possible.

The plot has already been described on this thread, so all I really have to say is that if you find yourself able to spend a few hours in New Hope between now and June 23rd, go for it

Here's a link of a review posted by Howie Shapiro (who used to be the theater critic at The Philadelphia Inquirer, where I work) who felt the same:

https://www.newsworks.org/index.php/shapiroontheater/item/56153

[PlayItAgain]

Posted: 6/17/13 at 12:08am

already hearing this will be MTC's main stage show in the spring.

[AC126748]

Posted: 6/17/13 at 5:35am

April: can you comment on the parking situation in New Hope? I haven't been in the area for a while, so I was wondering about what's available (pay, street etc).

[egnarotsew]

Posted: 6/17/13 at 9:04am

I went to the Saturday matinee. I got to New Hope around 1:00 and was surprised about the lack of crowds compared to other times I've been there. Anyway, I parked at the American legion lot which was $10.

[April Saul]

Posted: 6/17/13 at 11:01am

It was the weekend, and New Hope is a little bit more tourist-y than Lambertville, so I parked at a meter in Lambertville and walked over the little bridge, which took about ten minutes. Cost of the meter was a dollar an hour

During the week, you could probably even find a free space on a street and walk a few blocks, but that's me, I hate to pay a lot to park and it was a beautiful day for a walk.

[ryankon]

Posted: 6/17/13 at 12:16pm

I attended the Saturday matinee. Breathtaking. Daly is magnificent and she is supported by a wonderful cast. Agree with other posters that it could be expanded a bit but confess it's refreshing to find myself wanting more instead of less, which is more often the case. Frankly, I was startled at the depth and beauty of the play. I hadn't expected to leave the theatre needing tissues but this was indeed the case. Opened up some old scars but left with a great sense of satisfaction. Not sure I agree with an earlier poster who wanted more of the journal but do agree with the basic sense that a bit of fine tuning and further expansion of the characters(especially the younger Will) would benefit the play. This was well worth the trip. My group of four all loved it(three gay men and a straight woman, all in our 40s). Just left me weak with a breathtaking combination of sadness and hope. McNally at the top of his game with fine work from the director of Sheryl Kaller. Everyone is working on all cylinders here. Can't wait to see what they do with it…but for those considering taking the trip, it's well worth the visit. The Playhouse is fantastic and the surrounding area is gorgeous.

[perfectliar]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 1:05pm

re: The Journal - I think if there were even just one more entry, and if it were read by Cal, it would be enough. I found it odd that Cal didn't read any of Andre's journal when it could have afforded his character some reconciliation to connect with his lover again.

I have kept returning to this play in my mind over the past few days, so it obviously had more of an effect on me than I thought. I hope more posters can get out to see it this week.

[ryankon]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 5:32pm

One thing I loved about the journal passages is that they weren't laden with melodrama, i.e., some ridiculous bombshell. They were thoughtful, realistic and very very moving. I must say, though, that your idea intrigues me--the right entry read by Cal might add depth to an already beautifully told story. Like you, Perfect Liar, I cannot get the play out of my mind. It haunts me. Would love to see it again but won't be able to get back to Bucks County in time.