‘Night Mother opens Summer Stage July 1

 

SPECIAL TO KONK LIFE

 

The Fourth Annual Key West Summer Stage opens Tuesday night, July 1 for a six-night run of ‘Night, Mother, by Marsha Norman at the Red Barn Theatre, 319 Duval St.

 

This tense and tender play explores the tangled lines of love and loss between a mother and daughter who grapple to understand the decisions that have brought them to this desperate evening.

 

“I cannot tell you the number of people who’ve said this is their favorite play,” says director Rebecca Tomlinson. “People ask what I’m directing next. I tell them ‘Night, Mother. ‘Oh I love that play,’ they say. And then they talk about when they saw it and how they sat with friends or family afterwards talking about it. And they still want to talk about it, all these years later.”

 

Theatre critics have talked about the play for decades. It was written in 1983 by Norman, who went on to write the book for The Secret Garden, for which she won a Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award. She also wrote the book for The Color Purple and The Bridges of Madison County. But it is ‘Night, Mother for which Norman is best known.

 

‘Night, Mother has earned much acclaim, including a Pulitzer Prize, Blackburn Prize, and Drama Desk Award as well as numerous Tony Award nominations for acting and directing. It was revived on Broadway in 2004, and Oprah Winfrey has announced her intention to revive it again for the 2015-16 Broadway season.

 

So why the continued fascination with a play about two women?

 

“This is a play about time,” Tomlinson said. “How much time. How little time. What happens when time runs out. The play even happens in real time. No intermission. Watch the clock tick on stage if you want to. It’s just like life in that regard. The clock is ticking for these women, and it is heart wrenching and hopeful and devastating in both its humor and its drama. The play moves me today in a way it didn’t 20 years ago. But maybe back then I didn’t realize how much time relationships take. Whether they are beginning or ending — especially when they are ending.”

 

Connie Hurst and Susannah Wells play mother and daughter, respectively. This is their second time sharing a stage, the first being last year’s Summer Stage production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, which Tomlinson also directed. “I love the intensity these two women bring to this rehearsal process,” she says. “They are fearless in the exploration of the relentless dynamics of this mother-daughter relationship.”

 

The set for ‘Night, Mother is being created by Bob Bowersox, the founder of TheatreXP and the producer of Summer Stage. The lighting designer is Jules Conn, and the production’s stage manager/assistant director is Annie Miners. “This is the same team who created the stunning setting for Virginia Woolf last year. Audience members will not be disappointed — with any of it.” Tomlinson concludes.

 

‘Night, Mother runs July 1-6. It is sponsored by Larry Blackburn Photography. Season Sponsors for Summer Stage are Royal Furniture, KONKLife, The Grand Café, and Design Group Key West. Tickets begin at $30 and are available at www.redbarntheatre.com or by calling the box office at 305-296-9911.

Season Tickets for all Summer Stage shows are available at a discount by calling the Box Office. In addition to ‘Night, Mother, this year’s Key West Summer Stage season also includes Samuel Beckett’s classic Waiting for Godot (July 15-20), and the fiercely funny The Whale (July 29-Aug 3).

[livemarket market_name="KONK Life LiveMarket" limit=3 category=“” show_signup=0 show_more=0]