Like all of Amy Herzog’s plays, you can describe the plot of “Mary Jane” easily and clearly. But that’s not what it’s about.
The play, having its world premiere at the Yale Repertory Theatre through May 20, concerns a woman who is caring for her chronically ill 3-year-old son. Scenes of relatively calm chatter are interrupted with sudden bursts of activity whenever the child has a seizure or other medical emergency.
Herzog has crafted such believable dialogue, with such sharp detail, that the conversations are artful and entertaining even when no apparent plot is there to guide the characters in a particular direction
This non-linear, keep-you-guessing presentation, as fans of Herzog’s other work will know, is intentional. As with “Belleville” (the previous Herzog play that premiered at the Rep), the way she sets up an environment and an emotional connection is more important than any plot device.
Herzog embraces traditional stagecraft — “4000 Miles” is an odd-couple play and “Belleville” is a suspense thriller, though they are also so much more. Mostly though, she’s a modernist. She purposely leaves out elements that other dramatists would insist upon. She finds reactions more important than actions.
“Mary Jane” is a collection of fine, small, human moments that resist the urge to get loud and dramatic. Those of us who’ve had children in hospital wards recognize how the staff refers to parents as “Mom” and “Dad” rather than by their names, or how parents begin to use terms like “advocate for my child.” These terms are much more telling than if someone were to yell “Stat!”
Anne Kauffman’s direction is as subtle and true as Herzog’s script, and their work is firmly brought home by the Emily Donahoe’s endearing performance as Mary Jane.
There’s a special kind of naturalism Donahoe is creating here. It is the posture of a real person who wants to appear strong but has been weakened. She seems tired without acting tired. She leans and sits in funny ways, as if she’s used to having to adjust and improvise throughout her busy days. She keeps chipper and focused, in an oddly defensive manner.
Scenic designer Laura Jellinek matches the lived-in moodiness of “Mary Jane” with close-quarters blocking and a set that seems permanent until it suddenly flips open and spins around a bit.
There are four other performers in the play: the ever-extraordinary Kathleen Chalfant as a building superintendent and a priest; Vella Lovell as a wide-eyed college girl and a music therapist; Miriam Silverman as two separate mothers who are in similar straits as Mary Jane; and Shona Tucker as a visiting nurse and a doctor.
Having all the cast be female is a smart move, since any disputes among the characters don’t automatically take on a sexist or patriarchal air. Likewise, there’s a point to having everyone except Donahoe play two roles: it makes Mary Jane’s increasingly limited existence seem that much more claustrophobic, as all the people in her life begin to resemble each other.
“Mary Jane” is more like a Samuel Beckett play than a medical drama. It is not about what happens to Mary Jane. It is more about her endurance and her attitude. This is a distressing play, but not a soul-crushing one. It has many expressions of hope and perseverance. Mary Jane is a likable, capable and heroic person.
In the wrong hands, this same basic material could have been a lamentable episode of some hospital-based TV series, or an overwrought meditation on the current health care crisis. Instead, it’s a terrific, tear-inducing, universal tale of caring and coping.
MARY JANE by Amy Herzog, directed by Anne Kauffman, is at Yale Repertory Theatre, 1120 Chapel St., New Haven. Performances are Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m. $59 to $88, $25 to $30 for students. 203-432-1234, yalerep.org.
