Academy Award nominee Rachel McAdams stars in the Broadway premiere of MARY JANE, written by Pulitzer Prize finalist Amy Herzog (4000 Miles, the recent Tony-nominated adaptation of A Doll’s House). Captivating, affecting and compassionate, it’s the story of a single mother in an impossible family situation. Faced with seemingly insurmountable odds, Mary Jane relies on unflagging optimism and humor, along with the wisdom of the women around her who have become a makeshift family, to take on each new day. But will inner strength and newfound friendships be enough to see her through? The New York Times calls Mary Jane “the most profound of Herzog’s many fine plays.” And The New Yorker raves, “beautiful and remarkable... Herzog has made theatre that shines.” Directing is the acclaimed Anne Kauffman (The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window).
Anne Kaufman, repeating her staging from the play’s earlier NYC incarnation at New York Theatre Workshop, has delivered a beautifully calibrated production that expertly mines its subtleties. Featuring little blatant theatricality other than a stunning scene change (courtesy of Lael Jellinek), it features superb performances from its five-woman ensemble, all but the lead actress playing dual roles. McAdams, like so many film or television performers new to the stage, has difficulty with her vocal projection, making some lines unintelligible. But she’s such a warm, winning presence that your heart instantly goes out to her character who, somehow in the face of her anguish, achieves something akin to a state of grace.
“Mary Jane” is not a vehicle for showboating, or some explosive Mom vs. Society battle, and rightly so. Herzog’s drama is calm, and made up of slice-of-life conversations familiar to anybody who’s been a caretaker or knows one. And at times, I found director Anne Kauffman’s production too quiet for the Friedman, intimate though the venue is. Even a simmering show needs to build, and the middle of “Mary Jane” leans static.
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