Mary Jane

by Amy Herzog
Manhattan Theatre Club
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

Things are difficult for Mary Jane. Her kitchen taps don't seem to work. Her boss keeps trying to contact her. She never has a moment to rest. But perhaps, above all, she has to deal with Alex. Her severely ill toddler who was born with cerebral palsy and requires intensive, round-the-clock care. 

Amy Herzog's stunning play about the struggles of caregivers, originally commissioned by the Yale Repertory Theatre in 2017, is one of the strongest offerings on Broadway this season. Nominated for four Tony Awards, this Manhattan Theatre Club production is unlikely to leave a dry eye in the house. 

Directed with incredible sensitivity and nuance by Anne Kauffman, Mary Jane is structured as a series of conversations the title character has with various women she encounters in her life: her building superintendent, a fellow mother of a sick child, a wide-eyed college student, a music therapist, an elderly nun. We learn about her routine as a single working mother in New York, dealing with a barrage of appointments, deadlines and treatments. Every time a beep sounds from Alex's room, she rushes to check on him because he also has a paralysed vocal cord and cannot make a sound like a normal child. Yet, as she passionately maintains, he can understand her and that is all that matters. 

The semi-autobiographical play, based on Herzog's own experiences as the mother of a severely sick child who has since passed on, has a rich authenticity. Mary Jane babbles on to another mother she just meets about the special equipment she would need to care for her sick child, not realizing just how overwhelming she makes it sound until the poor woman breaks down. Indeed, it's a job of its own, being a full-time caregiver, and so easy to get lost in the details. 

The play is carried by Rachel McAdams (of Mean Girls and The Notebook fame) in her Broadway debut as Mary Jane, the harried yet chipper everywoman who has learnt to accept life's many curveballs and somehow keep it all together with a smile. McAdams turns in a warm, generous and utterly moving performance that draws one in. She is joined by a stellar all-female cast who double up in the other roles, creating the image of a community of women from all walks of life who support one another. 

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

Kauffman's crisp 90-minute production shines in the quietest of moments. A character looks on, horrified and helpless, while things spiral out of control in another room. A mother climbs into her child's bed and gently strokes his hair while a song is sung. Two strangers sit at a table and share a moment together. It's sad but never sentimental, occasionally funny and deeply relatable. 

Special mention must go to Lael Jellinek's set which undergoes one of the most jaw-dropping scene transitions I've seen. Halfway through the play, the entire messy, colourful apartment set - sofa, fridge and all - is raised up wholesale to reveal a stark, all-white hospital ward beneath. The apartment set hovers above the actors, driving in the harsh reality of being at the mercy of the healthcare system while the comforts of home are so near and yet so far. 

We never learn what happens to Alex at the end but even in the grimmest of times, the play is a beacon of hope, of seeking solace in something that lies beyond us and staying positive under pressure. This is a tender, searing and ultimately cathartic production that will stay with one for a long time.

The Crystalwords score: 4/5