Snoop's Theatre Thoughts

Mothers and Sons
by Terrence McNally
Directed by Michael Evan Haney
Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Studio
October 29, 2016

Darrie Lawrence, Harry Bouvy
Photo by Peter Wochniak
Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

Mothers and Sons, currently playing at the Rep Studio, isn’t a long play, but there’s a whole lot going on. A complex plot and well-drawn characters make this play interesting and at times profound. The Rep’s production is especially notable for its excellent performances, conveying a lot of the depth of this story and making it riveting to watch.

It’s a somewhat complicated plot, mostly based on conversation and reflection. The play opens with Katharine (Darrie Lawrence) standing by the window in a well-appointed Manhattan apartment with Cal (Harry Bouvy), who’s pointing out the view of Central Park and various sights. The conversation is awkward, and we soon learn why. It turns out that Katharine is the mother of Andre, who died of AIDS 20 years previously and who was in a long-term relationship with Cal, who hasn’t seen Katharine since Andre’s memorial service. A lot has changed in 20 years, in the country as well in the personal lives of Katharine and Cal. Katharine is a recent widow, and Cal is now married to Will (Michael Keyloun), and they have a 7-year-old son, Bud (Simon Desilets). Katharine’s visit is a disruption of Cal and Will’s happy existence, and many issues are stirred up, including Katharine’s regrets concerning her relationship with Andre and with Cal, Cal’s feelings of guilt for having survived Andre and having achieved the happy married life he and Andre were unable to have, Katharine’s denial of various aspects of her son’s life, Will’s jealousy of the memory of Andre, the age difference between Will and Cal and its effects on their views of the world, and more. It’s a somewhat talky play, taking place in one space and with only four characters, so the emphasis is on the character dynamics and the relationships.  It covers a lot of issues in its 90 minutes, but the story builds well and the playwright Terrence McNally’s dialogue is incisive and insightful, for the most part. The biggest strength of this production, though, is in the acting.

Darrie Lawrence gives a remarkable, powerful performance as Katharine, an extremely flawed character who is made to face and deal with her own flaws, despite her frequent bouts of denial.  Lawrence makes Katharine’s rigidity, her resistance to change, and her humanity extremely believable, bringing weight to all the developing relationships in the play, especially with Bouvy’s Cal and the unseen but very well-realized Andre. Bouvy is also excellent as Cal, a man who has found happiness after loss but still deals with some unresolved guilt and regret. His scenes with Lawrence are charged with tension, and he also has some great moments with Keyloun as the amiable, earnest and thoughtful Will.  Young Desilets also gives a strong performance as Bud, a well-loved little boy who doesn’t quite understand what’s happening around him, but who wants everyone to be happy.  The love between the family unit of Cal, Will, and Bud is convincing, as are Bud’s attempts to include Katharine in the family dynamic.

The play’s staging setup works well for the drama that unfolds, as the action is surrounded on three sides by the audience, allowing for an effective sense of immediacy. James Wolk’s set recreates an upper class Manhattan apartment convincingly, and Elizabeth Eisloeffel’s costumes suit the characters well, also helping to emphasize the age and generational differences between the characters. There’s also strong use of lighting by John Wylie and clear, effective sound by Amanda Werre.

Overall, as its title suggests, Mothers and Sons is a play about relationships, featuring well-drawn characters and situations.  It tackles a number of issues specific to these characters as well as some important universal themes.  Terrence McNally is a an excellent playwright and he has a strong sense of time, place, and character, although what really brings this production to life is its superb performances, and especially that of Lawrence as Katharine.  There are a lot of difficult, intense emotions here, and they are portrayed with intensity, depth and clarity in this excellent, well-directed production at the Rep Studio.

Harry Bouvy, Michael Keyloun, Simon Desilets
Photo by Peter Wochniak
Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

Mothers and Sons is being presented at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Studio until November 13, 2016.