Night Mother written by Marsha Norman tells the story of a mother, (Thelma Cates "Mama") and her daughter (Jessie Cates). Jessie has had enough of living her life and tells her mother that she intends on killing herself. A story of desperation and frustration 'Night Mother delivers a melting pot of emotion that I felt pushed me to keep reading to the very end.
Norman's script is one of the most human things I have read and I feel is something that can be related to those who might have felt the same way at one point or another whether it be from Jessie's point of view or from Mama's. The particular scene that makes me believe that is when Jessie and Mama are struggling with each other and Jessie gets past her and locks the door meanwhile Mama pleads to the very end and once its all said and done she still follows Jessie's final wish of calling her brother and scrubbing the pan.
One of the defining features of Night mother is the fact that its the very last night between a mother and daughter and it's so imminent that the feeling of helplessness isn't just there for Mama but for the reader also and not just helplessness but many other emotions that seem to connect and manifest themselves even though they are just words on paper and one can only imagine what a live production of this must feel like with the right ambiance and the right actors.
No comments:
Post a Comment