'Night, Mother (2008)
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»   SYNOPSIS

In her 1983 Pulitzer-prize winning play 'Night, Mother, Marsha Norman explores the relationship between a mother and a daughter, as the latter announces at the play's beginning that she will kill herself by the end of the night. Indeed, in between house chores and her preparation to do her mother's nails, Jessie calmly announces to Mama (Thelma) that she plans on ending her life that very evening. The play offers the subsequent dialogue between mother and daughter, which slowly reveals their relationship and what has brought Jessie to this desperate moment.




»   INFORMATION

Dates:
Location:
Number of performances:

Written by:
Directed by:
On stage as:

Full cast:

 Jessie Cates
Thelma Cates


Website: 		May 13 - June 28, 2008
Michael Young Theatre, Young Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto

48

Marsha Norman
Alisa Palmer
Jessie Cates



. . . Megan Follows
. . . Dawn Greenhalgh


Soulpepper Theatre Company





»   REVIEWS

". . . The casting choice pays off: you feel their real-life relationship [Dawn Greenhalgh and Megan Follows'] unites them onstage at Thelma and Jessie's every impasse. Particularly heartbreaking is the delivery of Follow's final line, the play's title (you have to really listen for it), uttered with quick and haunting finality."
– Debbie Fein-Goldbach, NOW Magazine



"The performances are also very compelling. Dawn Greenhalgh's Thelma is clueless, a little goofy, and entirely believable, while Megan Follows's Jessie is a woman who is entirely convinced she has made the right decision, and the two play off each other beautifully."
– Johnnie Walker, Torontoist



"Follows plays Jessie with the cold, empty eyes of someone who has already left this world, only stirring herself to an emotional peak on a few occasions when the remembered pain of the past cuts too deeply. It's a boldly understated interpretation that doesn't ask for sympathy and forbids us the healing balm of pathos."
– Richard Ouzounian Toronto Star


FULL REVIEWS  « 





»   FAN REPORTS


—  Bob:   "Just a quick note; this is the eighth time I've seen Megan in a stage production (met her once) and she has evolved into a superb stage actress. I know we all came aboard because of Anne but that seems a distant memory now. This production definitely had me shaking afterwards, and I wondered just how they could do it night after night."

—  Heidi:   "On June 21st I had the privilege of attending Soulpepper's production of 'Night Mother. The setting provided at the Young Centre created a very personal theatre experience. The 200 seat Michael Young Theatre has the audience so close to the stage that you feel like you are there with the actors, not seated on the sidelines. Our seats were 10 rows back but still perfect. I don't think you could get a bad seat in the theatre, even in the back row. When the play began and Megan entered the stage I couldn't help thinking, "Wow, there is Megan Follows and I get to sit here with her for 90 minutes." Little did I know, that feeling wasn't going to last for long. I'm not an experienced theatre goer but I had never been pulled from the audience into the lives of the characters until that night. Megan opened up Jessie's soul so the audience could see and feel inside of her. I wasn't just watching the play, I was living it with her. When Jessie tells her mother that she doesn't want anyone else there, just the two of them because it was private, an indescribable uncomfortable feeling came over me like I was intruding on something so real and personal. Dawn Greenhalgh's Thelma was such a dynamic character and played so flawlessly that it's understandable why people who only "watched" the play weren't able to see the complexities found within Megan's Jessie. Thelma was the heart of the play and Jessie was the soul. Dawn and Megan put the two together brilliantly.

A special thank you to the Shedding website for all the links to 'Night Mother. I stumbled on the web site in March when my 8 year old daughter wanted to see a picture of what Megan looks like now. That set up my 11 1/2 hour trip to see Megan. After leaving northern Vermont I dropped my 3 daughters off with my Mom in central New York, and then continued to western New York to pick up my sister-in-law and friend, and then finished off the final 3 hours to Toronto. It couldn't have been more worth it and I can't wait to return for another Soulpepper production."

—  Nikolai:   "What amazed me while watching Megan perform in 'Night Mother was that she effortlessly disappeared in her role. I wondered before seeing this performance if my multiple viewings of the Anne movies was going to dampen my perception of the performance. (Was I going to feel like I was watching the girl playing Anne Shirley try to play against type?) But I never felt that way once during her performance. She colored every line with subtlety and grace, allowing us to internalize her hurt, rage, and ultimately resignation. At one point, she looks away from her mother (whose attempting to prevent her from taking her life) and stares towards the audience with a look that suggests that her sprit has been sucked out of her. It's at this point when the mother says (paraphrasing), "I think I've already lost you!" It was a powerful, indelible moment!"


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»   PICTURES