curtain call

Is that Jim Parsons and Jessica Lange disco dancing on Broadway?

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Jim Parson and Jessica Lange sit on a couch in a scene from "Mother Play."
Jim Parson and Jessica Lange in “Mother Play.” Photo by Joan Marcus.

The Rundown

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel returns with another stinger for the stage. Mother Play: A Play in Five Evictions stars Jessica Lange in the title role and Jim Parsons and Celia Keenan-Bolger as her children.

The play spans 50 years and tracks the tumultuous relationship between a single mother (Lange) and her two children as they face economic hardships, addiction, and coming out. The all-star cast elevates one of the few LGBTQ+ narratives on Broadway this season. (For sapphic songstresses, head to the musicals Suffs or Lempicka.)

The list of original plays this spring is running lean, eclipsed by a slew of new musicals inhabiting most Broadway theaters. But if there’s one playwright to crack the glass ceiling, it’s Paula Vogel, whose 1992 play The Baltimore Waltz reimagined the lens through which to explore the AIDS crisis.

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No Tea, No Shade

Celia Keenan-Bolger and Jim Parsons in "Mother Play."
Celia Keenan-Bolger and Jim Parsons in “Mother Play.” Photo by Joan Marcus.

Life isn’t easy for Phyllis (Lange), a single mom with two small children, trying to stay afloat with an entry-level job and a cockroach-infested basement apartment. She slowly climbs her way up the corporate ladder, in turn, moving the family to modestly better living conditions despite a lifelong battle with alcohol.

Along the way, Carl (Parsons) and Martha (Keenan-Bolger) act more as caregivers than children as they navigate their mother’s mood swings, homophobia, and general malaise. It’s just a matter of time before Carl’s sensitive side emerges as full-blown queerness, while his sister’s path of discovery stays hidden in the shadows until she can no longer deny her true self.

Mother Play tackles the gay son-mother territory with a kind of retrospective haze fitting of the era. Whisps of self-loathing (The Boys in the Band) and a suffocating Oedipus complex (Torch Song Trilogy) pepper Phyllis and Carl’s dynamic, but Martha’s presence — first as a silent observer then later as a woman unwilling to compromise her values — adds a fresh coat of paint to the familiar surroundings.

Celia Keenan-Bolger and Jessica Lange in "Mother Play."
Celia Keenan-Bolger and Jessica Lange in “Mother Play.” Photo by Joan Marcus.

Jessica Lange’s fractured glamour and vulnerability is undeniable. Those familiar with her 40-plus-year career will see glimpses of the flirtatious Julie Nichols in Tootsie, the vanity of Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and the eccentricity of Big Edie in Grey Gardens. But to witness those elements converge live onstage in a character entirely new … well, that’s a playbill you’ll want to keep.

As her children, Parsons and Keenan-Bolger’s performances convey a rapport that feels achingly familiar to any siblings who have had to navigate a difficult parent. Their loyalty remains constant despite the predictable news of what fate awaits Carl, a sexually active gay man in the 1980s. And while that diagnosis lands with a thud due to director Tina Landau’s awkward staging, its impact propels the play with higher stakes.

Let’s Have a Moment

Martha convinces her mother to go to a PFLAG meeting, and shortly thereafter, she facilitates a family reunion at — where else? — a gay bar! Those with a knowledge of Washington, D.C.’s gay history will appreciate the reference to the real-life Lost & Found, a legendary dance club that ruled the city’s queer nightlife scene for 27 years.

Phyllis, wearing a Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress, hits the floor with her son, and for a brief moment, the hatred and vitriol vanish as “I Will Survive” echoes through the club. Jessica Lange and Jim Parsons doing the hustle to Gloria Gaynor is admittedly, not what we expected on Broadway this season. But the moment of queer joy, however brief, is worth savoring.

The Last Word

Jessica Lange wears a hot pink bathroom in a scene from "Mother Play."
Jessica Lange in “Mother Play.” Photo by Joan Marcus.

“I’ve never done a brand new play before,” said Lange in a recent interview, “and that has been thrilling.” The Tony, Emmy, and Oscar-winning actress says the community and thrill of live performance keep her coming back. “Each day is different. Every performance is a new experience, no matter how many times you do it … It’s alive.”

Mother Play plays at the Hayes Theater on Broadway in New York City. Performances through June 16, 2024.

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