Mothers and Sons

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MOTHERS AND SONS

Photo: Joan Marcus

Cititour.com Review
The grieving process isn’t over for Katharine Gerard, who lost her only child to AIDS 20 years ago. One could argue that it’s barely begun. But there are signs that might change as the recently widowed matron pays a visit to her son’s former boyfriend in Mothers and Sons, a beautifully wrought new Broadway play from Terrence McNally (Love! Valour! Compassion!). A riveting performance from Tyne Daly solidifies Sheryl Kaller’s stirring production.

Katharine was the title character of Andre’s Mother, a short play McNally wrote in the midst of the AIDS crisis (which was expanded as a PBS teleplay). Set at Andre’s memorial service, it depicted his boyfriend Cal raging against Andre’s mother and all the parents who withheld love from their gay children. Now McNally reunites the pair, in the Upper West Side apartment where Cal lives with his younger husband, Will, and their son, Bud, when Katharine stops by to return Andre’s journal, which Cal sent to her.

In a sense, Cal and Katharine have reversed roles. Now, she’s the one who’s lost a partner and feels out of place in the world. Lonely, abrasive and, as an only child, now without family, she yearns to find a way to connect to her late son, yet resents Cal and his happy new existence. As the two pore over the remnants of Andre’s life -- a journal, photographs, a poster of him as Hamlet -- their conversation shifts from banal pleasantries to painful memories and bitter recriminations, in a play that spans a continuous 100 minutes.

McNally’s story is simple, and at times funny, but it conveys how much our country (or at least a certain segment of it) has changed since the ’80s and ’90s, and our need for interconnectedness. Yet his characters never come across as mere stand-ins for themes or ideas. Katharine is harsh and full of hate, especially after a couple of drinks, but she’s also a pitiful character, something Daly expertly captures without mawkishness.

Equally strong are Frederick Weller’s Cal and Bobby Steggert’s Will, who endure a range of emotions thanks to Katharine’s unexpected arrival. And Grayson Taylor is adorable and innocently wise as their 6-year-old son. Through him, McNally reminds us of the importance of families, both the ones we’re born into and the ones we acquire as we go through life.

By Diane Snyder


Visit the Site
http://www.mothersandsonsbroadway.com

Cast
Tyne Daly, Frederick Weller, Bobby Steggert, Grayson Taylor

Open/Close Dates
Opening 3/24/2014
Closing 6/22/2014

Preview Open/ Preview Close Dates
Preview Opening 2/23/2014
Closing Open-ended

Box Office
212-239-6200

Theatre Info
John Golden Theatre
252 West 45th Street
New York, NY 10036
Map



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