Mother Play
1hr 30min, no intermission
Mother Play - 2024 Broadway History , Info & More
Hayes Theatre (Broadway)
240 West 44th St. New York, NY
Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel (How I Learned to Drive) has written a bitingly funny and unflinchingly honest new play about the hold our family has over us and the surprises we find when we unpack the past.
It’s 1962, just outside of D.C., and matriarch Phyllis (Jessica Lange) is supervising her teenage children, Carl (Jim Parsons) and Martha (Celia Keenan-Bolger), as they move into a new apartment. Phyllis has strong ideas about what her children need to do and be to succeed, and woe be the child who finds their own path. Bolstered by gin and cigarettes, the family endures — or survives — the changing world around them. Blending flares of imaginative theatricality, surreal farce, and deep tenderness, this beautiful roller coaster ride reveals timeless truths of love, family, and forgiveness.
Mother Play - 2024 - Broadway Cast
PREVIEW Mother Play - 2024 - Broadway
Photos
Videos
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR Mother Play
Mother Play review – Jessica Lange anchors often aimless Broadway drama
6 / 10
Even at a time of overwhelming competition on Broadway, there may well be enough check boxes ticked for some – Lange dancing to I Will Survive in a gay club definitely straddles a few – but Mother Play isn’t quite specific or emotionally searing enough to live beyond its admittedly alluring reference points. It works in moments, most of them the result of Lange’s ineffable presence, but as a whole, it’s not as commanding as her or its title demand, perhaps more estranged aunt than mother.
Mother Play
9 / 10
Keenan-Bolger and Parsons are very good indeed in Mother Play, but there’s no question to whom it belongs. Lange is magnificent, especially in this production’s most moving scene: a long passage that the script calls the Phyllis Ballet. Phyllis is alone onstage, because she has pushed everyone away. There is no dialogue, because she has no one to talk to. She stares out motionless at the audience for a discomfiting amount of time, letting us project onto her face like an actress in a film; then, in a silky magenta robe, she enacts a kind of sad silent comedy, setting a dignified dinner for herself and dousing her food in hot sauce. She has fallen down the well of loneliness. Bringing decades of experience to bear, Lange is riveting—and so, by extension, is Phyllis.
by Joey Mervis - June 8, 2024
In this video, watch as Tony nominee Celia Keenan-Bolger chats about her beloved Mother Play cast, the joy of being on Broadway, and so much more.
by Joey Mervis - June 5, 2024
In this video, watch as Jim Parsons chats about his beloved castmates, why Mother Play means so much to him, and so much more.
by Blair Ingenthron - May 26, 2024
According to Second Stage's Instagram story, the matinee of Mother Play has been canceled this afternoon due to 'an illness within the company.'
by Josh Sharpe - May 23, 2024
Tony-Award-winning actress Jessica Lange appeared on The View on Thursday to discuss her role in Paula Vogel's Mother Play. On the show, she also talks about her next project The Great Lillian Hall, an HBO film that centers on an aging Broadway performer who is struggling with memory loss. Watch the interview now!
by Josh Sharpe - May 17, 2024
Tune in to see Jessica Lange on The View next week! The Tony-nominated actress will appear on the program on Thursday, May 23 to discuss her role in Paula Vogel's Mother Play, which is currently playing at the Hayes Theater. The daytime talk show airs each weekday from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. ET on ABC.
by Joey Mervis - May 15, 2024
In this video, watch as Tony nominee Jessica Lange chats about her beloved Mother Play co-stars, why this piece means so much to her, and so much more.
by Josh Sharpe - May 13, 2024
Jim Parsons and Celia Keenan-Bolger stopped by The View on Monday to discuss the Tony-nominated Mother Play, where they are currently starring alongside Jessica Lange. The show marks Parsons' first-ever Tony nomination. Keenan-Bolger has been nominated 4 times prior, winning the award for her performance as Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. Watch the interview!
by Bruce Glikas - April 29, 2024
Mother Play officially opened on Broadway on April 25 at the Hayes Theater. Check out photos of the cast and VIPs at the after party here!
by Chloe Rabinowitz - April 26, 2024
Watch as Broadway World's Richard Ridge interviews the company of Mother Play on Broadway!
by Bruce Glikas - April 26, 2024
Mother Play officially opened on Broadway last night, April 25. We're taking you inside opening night in the all new photos here!
by A.A. Cristi - April 25, 2024
Tony Award winner Celia Keenan-Bolger, Academy Award, Emmy Award, and Tony Award winner Jessica Lange, and Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award winner Jim Parsons return to Broadway in the Second Stage's production of Mother Play. Read the reviews!
by Chloe Rabinowitz - April 23, 2024
Get a first look at photos of Jessica Lange, Jim Parsons and Celia Keenan-Bolger in Mother Play. Learn more about the show and see how to purchase tickets.
by Josh Sharpe - April 9, 2024
On Monday night, Jessica Lange appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers to talk about her role in Mother Play as Phyllis, the matriarch of the family. Though she has worked extensively onstage (she was last seen on Broadway in the four-hour epic Long Day's Journey into Night,) this was the first time Lange has originated a role in a new work. Watch the video here!
by Josh Sharpe - April 9, 2024
On Monday night, Jim Parsons appeared on The Tonight Show to talk about his role as Carl in Paula Vogel's Mother Play. Specifically, he discussed his approach to playing a 'floppy' 14-year old who lounges all over the furniture. Mother Play began previews April 3 and will officially open on April 25, 2024 at the Hayes Theater. Watch the video here!
by Joey Mervis - April 13, 2024
Previews are now underway for Second Stage's newest play- Paula Vogel's Mother Play. In this video, watch as the cast unpacks their roles!
by Stephi Wild - April 3, 2024
Second Stage Theater's Mother Play will begin previews on Broadway tonight, April 3. Meet the cast of Mother Play here!
by Sidney Paterra - March 26, 2024
Second Stage Theater's Mother Play has delayed its first preview. Learn more about the show and see how to purchase tickets.
Mother Play History
Other Productions of Mother Play
| 2024 | Broadway |
Second Stage Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Mother Play - 2024 Broadway Awards and Nominations
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play | Celia Keenan-Bolger |
| 2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play | Jessica Lange |
| 2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Play | Paula Vogel |
| 2024 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance | Jessica Lange |
| 2024 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance | Jim Parsons |
| 2024 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Play | Mother Play |
| 2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play | Celia Keenan-Bolger |
| 2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play | Jim Parsons |
| 2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play | Jessica Lange |
| 2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Play | Paula Vogel |
| 2024 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Jim Parsons |
| 2024 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Celia Keenan-Bolger |
| 2024 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Jessica Lange |
| 2024 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Paula Vogel |
Videos