Mothers and Sons Previews — Page 2

Where was your TDF seat, if you don't mind?

Edit: Because the last time I was in the Golden, I was in the last row of the mezz and I'm not sure that I could endure that again.

Updated On: 2/26/14 at 12:59 AM

TDF had us in front mezz. Really great seats.

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Yes, a thousand thank-yous, Whizzer! This wasn't really on my radar, but now I'm hoping word of mouth takes it at least to April!

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Terrence McNally has written some good plays, but not, unfortunately, recently. This season's And Away We We Go was abysmal, and this one is a clunker. It's like a run-down jalopy that lies there, inert, until you manage to crank up the engine, whereupon it sputters and moves two feet and breaks down again. It's badly written and structured. The first scene of meaningless descriptions of a Central Park view goes on for an eternity while poor Tyne Daly is left to stand there looking dazed and confused. While at the same we're bored out of our minds. There's no consistency to the characterizations. Motivations for getting characters on and off stage are clumsy. A little boy conveniently cries for help off stage so that a character can leave the other two behind for yet another listless argument. Much of the play is a tract that we've heard many times before on stage, and in far better plays. This makes the play seem stale and outdated. There's a misogynistic aspect to the depiction of the mother, whose hateful, inhuman callousness is beyond the pale. Poor Tyne Daly to be saddled with a role like this.

*SPOILER ALERT!!! ENDING REVEALED!!*





Why the boy would want this woman as a grandmother after meeting her for ten minutes is truly ludicrous. Does he do this with every woman of a certain age he meets for the first time? Also, her "defrosting " at the last moment, while the couple gazes upon her beatifically after wishing she had never come all evening long is just one of the many aspects of this play that fail the test of credibility.

Updated On: 2/27/14 at 07:51 AM

^

It's a hateful, cards-stacked-against-her portrayal of a woman. I felt sorry for Tyne Daly who could make nothing of that character. No actress could.

And if she gets nominated for awards for this, well, good for her! She deserves something for soldiering through a part like this.

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I can feel. I can feel disgust at misogyny.

I can think, too. Would that you could say the same.

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Good to know you were not meaning to be rude :) i guess a previous poster already filled the day's quota in that regard.

In any case, to answer your question...... Sure. Why just yesterday I was thinking about how much I loved Any Wednesday. I was even singing the special tilte song Harnick & Bock wrote for Barbara Cook when she took over the part. Both she and the play were wonderful.

But to get back on topic, and to say something positive about Mothers and Sons, I thought the set was good.

Oh, look, After Eight is still complaining about EVERY show he sees. Once again, all of BWW questions why he even goes to the the theatre if all he's going to do is complain about what he saw. But still, there is no end in sight.

Sometimes, one has to separate how we feel about characters in a play and a performance. We may wish that there were no people like Daly's character, but there are. Does that mean you have to enjoy seeing them portrayed on stage? No. You can limit your theatre-going to neatly worked out stories about uncomplicated people. But this is still a very fine play, with wonderful performances, albeit one that may not find an audience and seems a poor choice for commercial production. Misogyny? wrong word I suspect, but it is unclear what it is attempting to suggest. (Oh and if you were bored by the window scene at the top of the play, and don't appreciate everything it does, then there is really very little hope for you as a theatre-goer. Maybe a Disney cartoon is more your speed.

I saw the show at Bucks County but haven't yet caught it on Broadway. I'm sort of stunned with some of the remarks by AfterEight. That opening scene? Yes it was awkward -- there were many pauses and silences. If you could't figure out that the whole set up was that Tyne Daly's character was dying to say something but just couldn't get up the nerve to start it, then too bad. To me it perfectly set up the tension and tentativeness that all the characters had in this fateful meeting. I won't say the show isn't without problems and it left a few questions unanswered -- although I attended a talk back session with Mr. McNally and I've wondered if any of those comments by a number of the audience have been addressed since then.

To pick at things like a child off stage calling for help as a way to leave two characters alone on stage -- has it been done before and will it be done again? Of course, it's a working device and it works here. Someone is really searching to pick to even bring up such a thing.

Is it the best play ever written? No? Is it amazingly groundbreaking and innovative? Not really. But is it a thought provoking and interesting play with some really good performances (particularly from Ms. Daly)? Absolutely.

But AfterEight, the only "good play" that came to mind was nearly 50 years ago? Good grief, why do you bother with theatre at all or are you simply a masochist?

Updated On: 2/27/14 at 01:29 PM

After Eight, I have not yet seen the play, though I am going to. I love Tyne Daly. But I am not sure I understand what you are getting at by alluding to the misogyny.

A terrible person who happens to be a woman = / = misogyny.

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