Review: MARY JANE at Third Rail Repertory Theatre

This production runs through June 4 at CoHo Theatre.

By: May. 23, 2023
Review: MARY JANE at Third Rail Repertory Theatre

All plays, at some level, are about human connection. But I can’t recall seeing a play that approaches this theme with tenderness and grace anywhere close to Amy Herzog’s Mary Jane, now running at Third Rail Repertory Theatre.

Mary Jane is a strange show – nothing much happens, yet it has an enormous impact. The title character (played by Rebecca Lingafelter) is the single mother of Alex, a two-year-old who was born very premature and has a variety of health problems, including cerebral palsy. He requires constant care, and Mary Jane spends her days coordinating that care while also holding down a job and dealing with all of the other things in life. 

The play opens in Mary Jane’s apartment, with Ruthie, the building superintendent (Diane Kondrat), working to unclog the kitchen sink. The two women talk about Alex, and about their lives. They share a Coke. The interaction isn’t very long, but the connection is real. And this is how the rest of the play unfolds, with Mary Jane sharing beautiful moments with people she meets along the way. There’s Sherry (Janelle Rae), the home health nurse who is the closest person Mary Jane may have to a friend, and her shy niece Amelia (Ash Heffernan); Brianne and Chaya (both played by Miriam Schwartz), who also have children with serious health issues; Kat, a music therapist (also Ash Heffernan); and Tenkei (also Diane Kondrat), a hospital chaplain.

The women meet, they talk, they care for each other. And over the course of the show, it becomes clear that the play is a powerful lesson in staving off despair and loneliness. Because ordinary Mary Jane has a superpower: creating authentic connections, even in exchanges lasting only a few minutes, by being kind and compassionate and caring. It may not sound like much, but in the context of our current national epidemic of loneliness and isolation, it’s nothing short of revelatory.

The casting could not be more perfect. Lingafelter is wonderful – her performance is warm and open, expressing all the emotions all at the same time. Overall, the whole cast brings it, and I often felt less like an audience member and more like a fly on the wall witnessing intimate moments in the characters’ lives.

Before you start thinking it might all be too mushy, let me reassure you that this production, directed by Joann Johnson, is also incredibly funny. Case in point, a scene in which Mary Jane and Tenkei attempt to determine the sex of a goldfish made me laugh harder than anything has in a very long time – another ordinary moment transformed into something extraordinary.

Mary Jane runs through June 4 at CoHo Theatre. I highly recommend you grab someone you’re grateful to have in your life and go see this gorgeous play. Click Here.




RELATED STORIES - Portland

1
Red Yarn to Present The Get-Together Album Release Family Show at Crystal Ballroom Photo
Red Yarn to Present The Get-Together Album Release Family Show at Crystal Ballroom

Join Red Yarn and his full band, along with special guests, for an inclusive celebration of community and childhood at the album release family show. Don't miss this all-ages dance party at the legendary Crystal Ballroom in Portland.

2
Portland Opera to Receive $31,669 Grant from the Oregon Cultural Trust Photo
Portland Opera to Receive $31,669 Grant from the Oregon Cultural Trust

Portland Opera has announced that it has been awarded an Oregon Cultural Trust grant for $31,669 in support of the company’s upcoming workshop of The Factotum. This spring, Portland Opera will collaborate with the creative team to support the development of this exciting new opera for a future season.  

3
MATILDA THE MUSICAL Comes to Portland Playhouse Photo
MATILDA THE MUSICAL Comes to Portland Playhouse

Matilda the Musical comes to Portland Playhouse in October. Find out all the details about the show and how to get tickets here!

4
LIVE WIRE Radio Returns To The Hult Center, September 29 Photo
LIVE WIRE Radio Returns To The Hult Center, September 29

Hosted by the always dynamic Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello, Live Wire returns to the stage on Friday, September 29th at 7:30PM to record live at the incredible Hult Center!

From This Author - Krista Garver

Krista lives in Portland, Oregon. She fell in love with musicals at age 5, when her parents took her to see a university production of The Music Man. Krista attends as much theater as possible, in as ... Krista Garver">(read more about this author)

Videos


#repshow# in #getregions.name[i]# Arsenic and Old Lace
Lakewood Theatre Company (9/08-10/15)Tracker
#repshow# in #getregions.name[i]# Gruesome Playground Injuries
Twilight Theater Company (10/13-10/29)
#repshow# in #getregions.name[i]# Company
Keller Auditorium (7/16-7/21)
#repshow# in #getregions.name[i]# Telegraph Quartet
Lincoln Performance Hall (1/22-1/23)
#repshow# in #getregions.name[i]# Lightning Thief
Hillsboro Artists' Regional Theatre (HART) (6/01-6/16)
#repshow# in #getregions.name[i]# Germany’s Dynamic Goldmund Quartet
The Old Church Concert Hall (1/28-1/28)
#repshow# in #getregions.name[i]# Annie (Non-Equity)
Keller Auditorium (5/14-5/19)
#repshow# in #getregions.name[i]# Ain’t Misbehavin’
Broadway Rose Theatre Company (9/21-10/15)
#repshow# in #getregions.name[i]# Takács Quartet
Lincoln Performance Hall (11/13-11/14)
#repshow# in #getregions.name[i]# Girl From the North Country
Keller Auditorium (6/18-6/23)
VIEW ALL SHOWS  ADD A SHOW  

Recommended For You