Conservations with Mother
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Cititour.com Review
One of the consistent joys of New York theatergoing for the past 40 years has been watching actors taking material that in other hands might be downright weird of unbearably trite and performing a sort of alchemy that makes you believe (at least in the moment) that you’re watching a play worth its weight in gold.
That kind of theatrical magic is now taking place at Theatre 555 as the equally talented Matt Doyle (a Tony Award winner for the 2003 revival of “Company”) and Caroline Aaron (a stage and film favorite perhaps best known for her work on TV’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) transform Matthew Lombardo’s 85-minute play “Conservations with Mother” from what might come off as a mildly entertaining, overly sentimental two-hander into a work that is ultimately both quite funny and quite moving.
While the play specifically deals with the special relationship between Italian-American housewife Marie and her gay (and youngest) son Bobby – which we witness over the course of 40 years -- the show is likely to resonate with people of all sexual orientations and ethnicities who have had (or I guess lacked) special bonds with one another.
Structured as a series of short conversations between the pair, whether on the phone or in person, the play never feels too static thanks to Noah Himmelstein’s smooth staging, which smartly utilizes Wilson Chin’s minimal but clever sets and Caite Hevner’s often evocative projections which clearly delineate the play’s “chapters.”
And rather than keep both characters in one outfit throughout the show, Ryan Park has crafted numerous period-appropriate costumes for the pair (wisely keeping the muscular Doyle often in shorts, T-shirts or even shirtless) that speak almost as loudly as Lombardo’s dialogue. (I hope Aaron gets to keep a few pieces of her wardrobe!)
As for that dialogue, it covers some of the hot topics of the decades depicted in the play, including “stranger danger,” the AIDS epidemic, and drug and alcohol addiction,, as well as the importance of the New York Times in theater criticism, the reasons for not replacing shag carpeting, and whether a child who is a terrible flute player should be allowed to perform at a funeral. Lombardo treats the show’s meaningful issues with the same gravitas as the mundane, a tricky balancing act he pulls off with the help of his cast.
Aaron is a wonder to behold, balancing Marie’s conflicting emotions and beliefs. A staunch Catholic, she nonetheless forgives Bobby for “misbehaving” in church as teen, even skipping it once to go to a naked all-male pool party (which leads to Bobby coming out perhaps sooner than he planned). She supports him (but only up to a point) through his choice to stay in an abusive relationship, and she’s by his side – damn the expensive or inconvenience (or neglect of her other five children) -- whether at his Broadway opening or his stint in a California rehab. Yes, she mutters under (and over) her breath, sometimes loses her temper, and knows how to aim a pointed barb, but never once do we doubt her single-minded devotion to her son.
Doyle’s role is often a bit more passive – although Bobby can give as good as he gets -- but the actor effortlessly embodies his character’s extreme vulnerability and feelings of self-loathing and self-doubt. Most important, Doyle’s makes it clear that Bobby is more than a mere “momma’s boy,” but someone who knows he’s been lucky enough to have found his best friend and supporter at the moment of his birth.
Perhaps the greatest accomplishment of “Conversations with Mother” is that might spark important, much-need conversations among family members (or even friends). To paraphrase Stevie Wonder, just call the most important person in your life to say I love you.
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
https://conversationsplay.com/
Open/Close Dates
Opening 2/23/2025
Closing Open-ended
Theatre Info
Theater555
555 West 42nd Street
Neighborhood: West 40s
New York, NY 10036
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