Mother Play (Broadway)
Ends Jun 16 1h 55m
Mother Play (Broadway)
87

Mother Play (Broadway) NYC Reviews and Tickets

87%
(534 Ratings)
Positive
90%
Mixed
4%
Negative
6%
Members say
Great acting, Absorbing, Entertaining, Cliched, Great writing

About the Show

Paula Vogel's poignant new play, starring Jessica Lange, explores family dynamics in 1962 D.C.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (118)

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109 Reviews | 9 Followers
97
Must see, Entertaining, Great acting, Resonant, Tear jerker

See it if You want to laugh and then cryyyyyyyyyy

Don't see it if You don't want to feel

216 Reviews | 150 Followers
95
Masterful, Thought-provoking, Great staging, Great acting, Entertaining

See it if You want to see stellar performance by cast. Emotional story of alcoholism & a mother’s favoritism &shunning of kids. A dysfunctional family

Don't see it if Not into dysfunctional family drama/comedy. Homosexually biased Read more

MRM
102 Reviews | 14 Followers
94
Exquisite, Absorbing, Riveting, Thought-provoking, Great acting

See it if You want to see Jessica Lange in a powerful and funny performance. As well as Jim Parsons and Celia Keenan-Bolger giving fine support.

Don't see it if You are triggered by a truly horrible mother.

207 Reviews | 16 Followers
90
Absorbing, Intelligent, Great acting

See it if The acting is excellent, especially Jessica Lange. It’s a family story, dysfunctional but siblings loving and caring for each other.

Don't see it if You are not a fan of Jessica Lange - she is the reason to see it. This is about a family, gay kids, very unhappy mom.

102 Reviews | 15 Followers
90
Profound, Masterful, Intelligent, Great writing, Great acting

See it if you want a complex play about motherhood and parenting and accepting your kids, A fan of the cast and the playwright,

Don't see it if You dont like gay plays, want something more lighthearted and less challenging

72 Reviews | 3 Followers
89
Familial, Emotional, Quirky, Heavy, Piercing

See it if Absorbing performances by all three leading players.

Don't see it if HIV/AIDS topics are triggering

96 Reviews | 23 Followers
88
Empathetic, Irreverent, Ambitious, Great staging, Great acting

See it if you're a fan of Lange, by now as good on stage as on screen, and appreciate the complicated process of forgiveness. CKB & JP strong as well.

Don't see it if you find Vogel overrated (I usually do but liked this) and don't like non-verbal theatre scenes, which were high points here for me. Read more

58 Reviews | 11 Followers
85
Slow, Intense, Great acting

See it if You love the actors and want an emotional, deep show.

Don't see it if You have similar trauma or want something that doesn't have the occasional slow section. The writing is great in a lot of places but not all

Critic Reviews (12)

The New York Times
April 25th, 2024

“Mother Play is a quieter show, softer and less shattering."
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Time Out New York
April 25th, 2024

"While Mother Play may be punitive, it is never pitilessly so."
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New York Theatre Guide
April 26th, 2024

"Mother Play is all about the mother’s touch and what it means to mother and be mothered"
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New York Magazine / Vulture
April 25th, 2024

"Her script assembles the contradictions...but it doesn’t provide a route through them."
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The Wall Street Journal
April 25th, 2024

"...a funny and affecting but slight and fragmentary drama depicting Ms. Lange’s Phyllis"
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Variety
April 25th, 2024

"...a genuinely engaging examination of a family trying to find equilibrium."
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Entertainment Weekly
April 25th, 2024

"...Vogel’s latest hits the emotional beats...reminder to call your mom now and then."
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Theatermania
April 25th, 2024

"...ends exactly as expected, but the emotional rollercoaster is worth the ride."
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