• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • NEWS+OPINIONS
    • NEWS TO US
    • COLUMNS
      • APPARENT HORIZON
      • DEAR READER
      • Close
    • LONGFORM FEATURES
    • OPINIONS
    • EDITORIAL
    • Close
  • ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
    • FILM
    • MUSIC
    • COMEDY
    • PERFORMING ARTS
    • VISUAL ARTS
    • Close
  • DINING+DRINKING
    • EATS
    • SIPS
    • Close
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CANNABIS
      • TALKING JOINTS MEMO
      • Close
    • WELLNESS
    • GTFO
    • Close
  • STUFF TO DO
  • TICKETS
  • ABOUT US
    • 5 DOUBLE-U’S
    • MASTHEAD
    • DISTRIBUTION
    • ADVERTISE
    • SUBMISSIONS
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • Close
  • BECOME A MEMBER

Dig Bos

The Dig - Boston's Only Newspaper

READ CURRENT STREET ISSUE

DIG Year End 2020

MOTHERS AND SONS: TEARS AND TRUTHS IN SPEAKEASY STAGE COMPANY’S LATEST

Written by SPENCER SHANNON Posted May 13, 2015 Filed Under: A+E, Performing Arts

TR_MothersAndSons(CraigBailey_PerspectivePhoto)_728
Photo by Craig Bailey Photo

Mothers and Sons, penned by award-winning playwright Terrence McNally, opens on a not-so-uncommon scene: mother-in-law and son-in-law stand at the window of the latter’s apartment, awkwardly exchanging small talk and commenting on the weather. They wait for someone; the anticipation hangs palpably in the air.

 

However, when the name of the missing person comes up, it’s tinged with pain. The audience soon realizes that this isn’t a friendly visit—it’s a dutiful one. Katherine (Nancy E. Carroll) has come to see Cal (Michael Kaye) after years of estrangement to return the unopened journal of Andre, her son and Cal’s late lover, who died from AIDS in the 1990s.

 

The play is complex, the characters nuanced and flawed—the meaning of it can be a challenge to unearth in the surprisingly swift 90-minute run time. Mothers and Sons seems to encapsulate how much society has changed between the 1980s and today, especially in regards to the gay rights movement. Cal has a young husband, Will (Nile Hawver), whom he met online, owns his own apartment, and even has a young son, Bud (Liam Lurker). Yet he is still haunted by the terrors of the sickness that ravaged Andre and the dark years that stole away most of the other men of his generation, and he still feels as though the safety and comfort he enjoys today are unreal. If anything, Katharine represents the slowly dying opposition: she blames Cal in part for Andre’s death, she affirms repeatedly that Andre wasn’t gay before he left home for New York, and she offhandedly drops racially tainted jabs that offend the fiercely politically correct Cal and Will.

 

Yet despite its framework within the complicated history of the gay rights movement, Mothers and Sons is not a queer play. It avoids making Cal and Andre’s lifestyle the main dramatic crux of the story, their homosexuality the root of the characters’ suffering. This is affirmed, almost to the point of obnoxiousness, by how perfect Cal’s life has become. His family operates almost with sitcom-level charm, with his cute and precocious son, his ruggedly handsome husband, and the open and vocal displays of affection they regularly trade throughout the course of the play. It seems to cry out, “See, this is normal!” but borders on projecting a message that the ideal gay lifestyle is one only attainable by those of a certain economic and racial background. It pushes the political message of marriage as the ultimate arrival of equality, which is just not an identifiable or even viable option for many people.

 

These criticisms aside, Mothers and Sons provides powerful commentary on the passage of time and the inevitable loss suffered by parents not just if their child dies—but even when their child just grows up and moves away. Katharine has defined herself as “Andre’s mother” for so long that she doesn’t know who she is, or how to even be seen as a person, without him. The play examines the sometimes irreconcilable distance between members of consecutive generations, and of the paltry bridges we try to build towards each other with words, the only method we have—one that so often falls short.

 

At its core, Mothers and Sons tells the story of a mother and a widower who still struggle to let go, and who have tried and failed to find comfort in each other. It’s about the lies we tell ourselves to get by. It’s about the pain felt by an entire generation of queer people, who found themselves targeted by a deadly disease that had no name, a disease with mysterious origins that was largely left unexamined by the medical community at large. It’s about coming to terms with the danger of pouring so much of yourself into another person that you lose yourself in the process. It’s a passionate, heartbreaking, wholly revelatory play about love.

 

SPEAKEASY STAGE COMPANY PRESENTS: MOTHERS AND SONS. THROUGH JUNE 6. THE STANFORD CALDERWOOD PAVILION, 527 TREMONT ST., BOSTON. TICKETS START AT $25. FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT SPEAKEASYSTAGE.COM

SPENCER SHANNON
More from author
  • SPENCER SHANNON
    https://digboston.com/author/spencer-shannon/
    BLACK DIALOGUE: INTELLIGENT MISCHIEF AND THE SUMMER OF RADICAL IMAGINATION
  • SPENCER SHANNON
    https://digboston.com/author/spencer-shannon/
    DEVIL’S ADVOCATE
  • SPENCER SHANNON
    https://digboston.com/author/spencer-shannon/
    THE SUBMISSION: ZEITGEIST STAGE'S SPRING CLOSER MEDIATES ON BIG ISSUES
  • SPENCER SHANNON
    https://digboston.com/author/spencer-shannon/
    ALTERNATE UNIVERSE: QUEER/TRANS NARRATIVES MIX FOR FUN EFFECT IN NEW PERFORMANCE

Filed Under: A+E, Performing Arts Tagged With: AIDS, Calderwood Pavilion, Liam Lurker, Michael Kaye, mothers and sons, Nancy E. Carroll, Nile Hawver, SpeakEasy Stage Company, Terrence McNally

WHAT’S NEW

IT'S HARDER THAN EVER TO FIND A BATHROOM IN BOSTON. WHAT'S THE CITY DOING ABOUT IT?

IT’S HARDER THAN EVER TO FIND A BATHROOM IN BOSTON. WHAT’S THE CITY DOING ABOUT IT?

ON NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION, PROTESTERS CALL FOR EVICTION MORATORIUM

ON NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION, PROTESTERS CALL FOR EVICTION MORATORIUM

WU AND CAMPBELL TO SPEAK AT MAYORAL CANDIDATE WEBINAR

WU AND CAMPBELL TO SPEAK AT MAYORAL CANDIDATE WEBINAR

Hard right wingers casually tour the Capitol during last week's attack. Via C-SPAN.

HOW TO DEFEAT THE HARD RIGHT

BAKER URGED TO SIGN GAME CHANGING CLIMATE BILL

BAKER URGED TO SIGN GAME CHANGING CLIMATE BILL

APPOINTED SOMERVILLE OFFICIAL SPURS OUTRAGE WITH TWEETS FROM DC MOB SCENE

APPOINTED SOMERVILLE OFFICIAL SPURS OUTRAGE WITH TWEETS FROM DC MOB SCENE

Primary Sidebar

HEMPIRE FREEDOM PACK 25% OFF

FEATURED EVENT

Most Popular

  • APPOINTED SOMERVILLE OFFICIAL SPURS OUTRAGE WITH TWEETS FROM DC MOB SCENE by MARC LEVY
  • VIDEO: COP WHO BRAGGED THAT HE HIT PROTESTERS SHOWS HOW BAD APPLES THRIVE IN BOSTON by CHRIS FARAONE
  • INSIDE THE FIGHT TO DOCUMENT THE HORRORS AT AMERICA’S OLDEST WOMEN’S PRISON by SHELBY GREBBIN AND ISHA MARATHE
  • THE WSJ FEATURE ON WORCESTER’S POLICE CHIEF IS PURE COPAGANDA by BILL SHANER
  • STATE LOOKS TO SPEND $75K TO PREVENT FUTURE STORROWINGS by DAN ATKINSON

READ CURRENT MEMBER EDITION

DIG Member 1.9 – 11/26/20

READ CURRENT STREET ISSUE

DIG Year End 2020

Footer

digbos

Light and sweet and hoppy, we’re loving this lat Light and sweet and hoppy, we’re loving this latest incarnation of a #beer that’s been in the making for months. https://digboston.com/video-jacks-abby-x-boston-celtics-pride-and-parquet-hoppy-lager-unboxing-tasting/ #fun #video #review #Boston #Massachusetts
Jostling for position and influence are the disadv Jostling for position and influence are the disadvantaged candidates, existing industry participants, and municipalities … https://digboston.com/the-road-to-home-delivery-pt-5-dogs-in-the-fight-identifying-the-players/ #cannabis #politics #analysis #Massachusetts
The candidates will be interviewed about the upcom The candidates will be interviewed about the upcoming race. https://digboston.com/wu-and-campbell-to-speak-at-mayoral-candidate-webinar/ #politics #mayor #campaign #Boston #Massachusetts
Participants took to the streets in the hope of sw Participants took to the streets in the hope of swaying the Biden administration. https://digboston.com/on-national-day-of-action-protesters-call-for-eviction-moratorium/ #housing #justice #protest #national #Boston #Massachusetts
“They refuse to respond to this humanitarian cri “They refuse to respond to this humanitarian crisis where people really need them. We’re just ignoring this problem and it’s getting worse and worse.” https://digboston.com/its-harder-than-ever-to-find-a-bathroom-in-boston-whats-the-city-doing-about-it/ #politics #unhoused #homeless #bathroom #public #health #Boston #Massachusetts
Environmental #justice and #climate change advocat Environmental #justice and #climate change advocates are pushing for its passage. https://digboston.com/baker-urged-to-sign-game-changing-climate-bill/ #environment #globalwarming #legislation #politics #Massachusetts
In short, it’s amazing. For details, check the # In short, it’s amazing. For details, check the #video … https://digboston.com/video-night-shifts-tea-party-is-subtle-love-for-people-who-hate-most-hard-teas/ #review #fun #beer @NightShiftBeer
HOW TO DEFEAT THE HARD RIGHT: Some thoughts on the HOW TO DEFEAT THE HARD RIGHT: Some thoughts on the Capitol attack and building a more democratic nation. The latest from DigBoston's @jasonpramas. https://digboston.com/how-to-defeat-the-hard-right/ #democracy #politics #Capitol #US #America #attack #Biden #Trump #grassroots #movement #analysis #strategy #MAGA
“Should Mayor Walsh be confirmed by the Senate, “Should Mayor Walsh be confirmed by the Senate, I am ready to take the reins and lead our city through these difficult times.” https://digboston.com/walsh-to-wash-janey-to-become-1st-black-boston-mayor-1st-woman-to-lead-city/ #politics #Boston #Massachusetts #BlackLivesMatter
APPOINTED #SOMERVILLE #OFFICIAL SPURS #OUTRAGE WIT APPOINTED #SOMERVILLE #OFFICIAL SPURS #OUTRAGE WITH TWEETS FROM DC #MOB SCENE: Mayor Curtatone says “We’re taking it seriously and doing our due diligence” https://digboston.com/appointed-somerville-official-spurs-outrage-with-tweets-from-dc-mob-scene/ #politics #controversy #Massachusetts #Capitol #Congress #WashingtonDC #MAGA #Trump
Load More... Follow on Instagram
Social Buttons

DigBoston facebook DigBoston Twitter DigBoston Instagram

Masthead

About

Submissions

Advertise

Privacy Policy

Customer Service

Distribution

About Us

DigBoston is a one-stop nexus for everything worth doing or knowing in the Boston area. It's an alt-weekly, it's a website, it's an e-mail blast, it's a twitter account, it's that cool party that you were at last night ... hey, you're reading it, so it's gotta be good. For advertising inquiries: [email protected] To reach Editorial: [email protected] For internship opportunities: [email protected]