Vintage Theatre to Present NIGHT, MOTHER, 5/15-6/14

Vintage Theatre presents "'Night, Mother" May 15 through June 14 at Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora 80010. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 2:30 p.m. with additional performances on Thursday, June 11 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, June 13 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $28, $24 in advance and available online at www.vintagetheatre.org or by calling 303-856-7830. Group discounts for 6+ are available.

The scene is the living room/kitchen of a small house on an isolated country road, which is shared by Jessie and her mother. Jessie's father is dead; she is epileptic and unemployable, her loveless marriage ended in divorce; her absent son is a petty thief and ne'er-do-well; her last two jobs failed and, in general, her life is stale and unprofitable. As the play begins Jessie asks for her father's service revolver and calmly announces that she intends to kill herself. At first her mother refuses to take her seriously, but as Jessie sets about tidying the house and making lists of things to be looked after, her sense of desperate helplessness begins to build.

This eloquent, enthralling and ultimately shattering play explores the final hour in the life of a young woman who has decided that life is no longer worth living.

"'Night, Mother" stars Haley Johnson as Jessie, Emma Messenger as her mother and is directed by Billie McBride.