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| Amy Herzog's "Mary Jane" at NYTW today. | |
| Last Edit: Delvino 08:48 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
| Posted by: Delvino 08:45 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
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| Still in its grip. For starters, what an extraordinary company, all women, all just wonderful, all the more so for forming such a seamless, tightly knit ensemble, one that creates an entire world. (Personal favorite: the great Brenda Wehle, in two roles 180 apart, both magnificent.) Carrie Coon, predictably, is the perfect center. Herzog's steadfast refusal to let even a whiff of melodrama mar her character's trajectory blew me away. As the play inches toward a resolution, one we know must arrive, heartbreak illuminates and inspires rather than depresses, Herzog's ultimate achievement. And what a theatrical coup, midway, as the narrow, carefully structured and maintained environment of Coon's character implodes yet physically expands. It closes next weekend. It could have a longer life in NY. The physical production by Laura Jellinek, lit by Japhy Wierderman, is exquisite, and looks like it would fit perfectly in another house. Any chance of its return? Any rumors? I think it's sold out this week. If you can get a ticket, go. |
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| re: Amy Herzog's "Mary Jane" at NYTW today. | |
| Posted by: lowwriter 11:52 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
| In reply to: Amy Herzog's "Mary Jane" at NYTW today. - Delvino 08:45 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
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| I was there today, too. Mary Jane is moving but I thought it could have gone much deeper. The acting was wonderful and I thought Carrie Coon as Mary Jane filled in some emotional weight that wasn't there in the dialog. I do look forward to seeing Herzog's work and liked this much more than Bellevue and not as much as 4,000 Miles. I got to see it through TDF and though I liked saving money, my seat in house right first row was partial view for some scenes because of a table upfront on the right side of the stage. So I missed some facial expressions in three scenes. |
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| re: Amy Herzog's "Mary Jane" at NYTW today. | |
| Last Edit: Delvino 06:40 am EDT 10/23/17 | |
| Posted by: Delvino 06:33 am EDT 10/23/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Amy Herzog's "Mary Jane" at NYTW today. - lowwriter 11:52 pm EDT 10/22/17 | |
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| SPOILER BUILT IN The play is built on an inevitability. We don't know that we'll be privy to its specific circumstances, but with a piece about this plight, the only resolution can be some acceptance of eventual death of the child and maybe illustration of release for the heroic mother. We care deeply that something makes her cause more bearable. So the play's trajectory sits with the audience. It's a kind of dread. It makes the final moments especially challenging, because as the play begins to inch toward conclusion, we lean forward, hoping for a moment that will be transcendent ("Wit" came to mind last night, after I came home). Herzog refuses to sentimentalize the mother's release from her burden, but knows that to be satisfying, this story must help this woman let go. Even if the audience doesn't collectively think in such terms consciously. For that reason, the final beat, so beautiful, so eloquent, but so steadfast in its refusal to be make this "feel good" is especially brave. Dramatically heroic. But it's also -- perhaps -- a small liability. For we're stuck with acceptance. And leave mulling how this woman will handle grief we'll never see. I was heartened by the audience response. We just wanted to think, breathe. People didn't leap up. People were too moved, too thoughtful. It also made the curtain plea for aid to Puerto Rico -- perfectly appropriate, decidedly needed in the dire fall of 2017 -- harder to absorb and process. We were still in Mary Jane's story, and suddenly there was Ms. Coon as Ms. Coon, giving over the lit stage to the dark and troubled world beyond East 4th Street. |
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| re: Amy Herzog's "Mary Jane" at NYTW today. | |
| Posted by: Shutterbug 11:34 pm EDT 10/23/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Amy Herzog's "Mary Jane" at NYTW today. - Delvino 06:33 am EDT 10/23/17 | |
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| I agree 100%, Delvino. It was precisely the lack of sentimentality that made this quietly challenging play so interesting and so startling. Much like Carrie Coons' character, we're never offered the sweet relief of a neat resolution or an emotional catharsis. Laura Jellinek's set is fantastic. As she did in A LIFE, she makes the set more than just a "setting" in which the dramatic action unfolds. The set clarifies and expands upon the text in surprising ways. The performances are all very strong. Carrie Coons is revelatory. I also want to give a shout out to Liza Colon-Zayas, who is such a consistently strong actor. I love watching her in anything she does. I, too, highly recommend this play. |
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