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)
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ATTENTION FANS: I will be played by James Barbour in the upcoming musical, "BroadwayWorld: The Musical."
#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.
"We don't value the lily less for not being made of flint and built to last. Life's bounty is in it's flow, later is too late. Where is the song when it's been sung, the dance when it's been danced? It's only we humans who want to own the future too."
- Tom Stoppard, Shipwreck
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
"The gods who nurse this universe think little of mortals' cares. They sit in crowds on exclusive clouds and laugh at our love affairs. I might have had a real romance if they'd given me a chance. I loved him, but he didn't love me. I wanted him, but he didn't want me. Then the gods had a spree and indulged in another whim. Now he loves me, but I don't love him." - Cole Porter
#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!
"Picture "The View," with the wisecracking, sympathetic sweethearts of that ABC television show replaced by a panel of embittered, suffering or enraged Arab women" -the Times review of Black Eyed
#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. 
"Picture "The View," with the wisecracking, sympathetic sweethearts of that ABC television show replaced by a panel of embittered, suffering or enraged Arab women" -the Times review of Black Eyed
#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.
"We don't value the lily less for not being made of flint and built to last. Life's bounty is in it's flow, later is too late. Where is the song when it's been sung, the dance when it's been danced? It's only we humans who want to own the future too."
- Tom Stoppard, Shipwreck
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
"Picture "The View," with the wisecracking, sympathetic sweethearts of that ABC television show replaced by a panel of embittered, suffering or enraged Arab women" -the Times review of Black Eyed
#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.
"We don't value the lily less for not being made of flint and built to last. Life's bounty is in it's flow, later is too late. Where is the song when it's been sung, the dance when it's been danced? It's only we humans who want to own the future too."
- Tom Stoppard, Shipwreck
#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.
"Picture "The View," with the wisecracking, sympathetic sweethearts of that ABC television show replaced by a panel of embittered, suffering or enraged Arab women" -the Times review of Black Eyed
#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
"Picture "The View," with the wisecracking, sympathetic sweethearts of that ABC television show replaced by a panel of embittered, suffering or enraged Arab women" -the Times review of Black Eyed
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
"It's like children's theatre for 40-year old gay people!" - XANADU THE MUSICAL
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.
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart; and you'll never walk alone.
Updated On: 9/14/06 at 05:27 PM
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.
"I'm thinking about how if you took the W in
answer, and the H in ghost, and the extra A in aardvark, and the T in listen, you could keep saying WHAT but no one would ever hear you because the whole word would be silent."
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