Plays about Mothers
Plays about Mothers
Choirkid
Swing Joined: 7/8/04
#0Plays about Mothers
Posted: 9/13/06 at 6:56pm
Anyone know any good plays about mother/daughter relationships?? Specifically, troubled relationships! Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
Mattbrain
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/23/05
#1re: Plays about Mothers
Posted: 9/13/06 at 6:59pm
Rabbit Hole (I think. I don't know much about the play)
Little Women
Gypsy (that's the one that really fits into your criteria)
#2re: Plays about Mothers
Posted: 9/13/06 at 7:08pmLa Casa de Bernarda Alba by Federico Garcia Lorca
#3re: Plays about Mothers
Posted: 9/13/06 at 7:10pmChica's right. That's pretty much the best one ever. Read it in Spanish if you can, but even if you can't, it's beautiful in English.
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
MrMidwest
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/8/05
#5re: Plays about Mothers
Posted: 9/13/06 at 9:39pm
The Glass Menagerie
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds
The Bad Seed
#6re: Plays about Mothers
Posted: 9/13/06 at 9:41pmThe Light in the Piazza ranks with Gypsy as the BEST musical and or play about mothers in my opinion.
#7re: Plays about Mothers
Posted: 9/13/06 at 9:57pmChica took mine!
#9re: Plays about Mothers
Posted: 9/13/06 at 10:02pm
I reccomended it to my english teacher today. She'd never heard of it. I was sad.
I wanted to listen to the musical in class. 
#10re: Plays about Mothers
Posted: 9/13/06 at 10:04pm
That IS sad. What a poor excuse for a teacher. pfft.
I wasn't too happy with the notion of a musicalized version of the play, but was pleasantly surprised when I saw it. Still, nothing comes close to the play itself. Very powerful.
#11re: Plays about Mothers
Posted: 9/13/06 at 10:05pm
Lorca is SUCH an incedible writer.
I think that LaChiusa was the PERFECT composer for the material.
Heybeenfood
Broadway Star Joined: 5/15/06
#13re: Plays about Mothers
Posted: 9/13/06 at 10:11pmI've yet to see it. I'd LOVE to direct it, though
#14re: Plays about Mothers
Posted: 9/13/06 at 10:12pmI did a scene from it for a Combat class, and it was so fascinating as an excersize. In every line there is so much subtext, and the words themselves are just beatiful and beautifully constructed.
#15re: Plays about Mothers
Posted: 9/13/06 at 10:15pm
I agree, although some songs simply didn't work. "My daugher died a virgin" loses a LOT of its impact by being sung.
But if it had to be done, I'm glad it was LaChiusa. And I quite enjoyed the musical, flawed as it may be.
#16re: Plays about Mothers
Posted: 9/13/06 at 10:19pm
apparently, the actual production was quite flawed.
but LaChiusa has created some AMAZING melodies. Maybe it's Phylicia Rashad(??) who ruins the moment for you, I think it's quite powerful, but i've never seen a production of either the play OR the musical.
#17re: Plays about Mothers
Posted: 9/13/06 at 10:23pmthe beauty queen of leenane. very troubled mother/daughter relationship with a nice twist.
#18re: Plays about Mothers
Posted: 9/13/06 at 10:29pm
My biggest complaint about the production was indeed Phylicia Rashad's portrayal. As many people have said, she just exhudes too much warmth to fully pull off Bernarda Alba (who should be a powerful, intimidating presence).
I do agree about the music, though. It's sublime.
#19re: Plays about Mothers
Posted: 9/13/06 at 10:32pm
That was the NYT's complaint, as well. But Michael John did say in the "making of the record" video on bway.com that he attempted to make this bernarda more... "human"
whatever THAT means. 
I love what it seems was done with the body, the dancing etc
clarkstallings
Leading Actor Joined: 1/9/05
#20re: Plays about Mothers
Posted: 9/13/06 at 10:43pmIf you need troubled motherly and all around relationships in a beautiful play check out "By the Bog of Cats" by Marina Carr. Absolutely amazing and shocking.
bare_nakedlady
Broadway Star Joined: 5/9/05
#21re: Plays about Mothers
Posted: 9/13/06 at 11:10pm
'Night Mother was mine, but if I had to choose a second I'd say...
INDEPENDENCE by Lee Blessing
WalkOn
Broadway Star Joined: 8/7/06
#22re: Plays about Mothers
Posted: 9/14/06 at 5:27pm
Don't forget GREY GARDENS, if you are including musicals.
americanboy99
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/27/06
JustABroadwaybaby2
Broadway Star Joined: 4/6/06
#24re: Plays about Mothers
Posted: 9/14/06 at 5:54pm
Ok.
Rabbit Hole is about a couple whose SON is run over by a truck. The son has been dead for a while, and we never see him (I was a ssigned it for school, AMAZING play, read it.)
And everyone took all of mine...so...yeah.
Videos