Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 2015)
‘Life gets messy. Let’s show it.’ J Coaster Theatre presents ‘’night, Mother,’ a drama about suicide and choice Jessie Cates has severe epilepsy. She can’t keep a job and lives with her mother out in the country. Her father is dead, her husband has divorced her, and her son is a juvenile delinquent. But, now in her 40s, she has reached a point where her medications seem to EHZRUNLQJ6KH¶V¿QDOO\FOHDUKHDGHG So, one day, Jessie announces to her mother, Thelma Cates, that she plans to kill herself. 7KLV LV WKH VHWXS IRU ³¶QLJKW Mother,” Marsha Norman’s Pulitzer 3UL]HZLQQLQJ GUDPD WKDW RSHQHG DW the Coaster Theatre on Jan. 30 and runs through Feb. 21. ³,W¶VMXVWVRZHOOFUDIWHG²RKP\ gosh, so well written,” said Margaret 3DJH ZKR SOD\V 7KHOPD ³,W¶V GH¿ nitely going to prompt discussion.” (Early on, in fact, Page’s participation in the play provoked a conversation ZLWKD³FDUGFDUU\LQJ&DWKROLF´IULHQG about Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act, she said.) ³¶QLJKW 0RWKHU´ ¿UVW SHUIRUPHG LQ LV GLVWXUELQJ DQG XQIRUJHW table because it presents suicide not merely as a tragedy but as a choice ²DVDUHDVRQHGGHFLVLRQVDLG6KHLOD 6KDIIHU GLUHFWRU RI WKH &RDVWHU SUR duction. -HVVLH¶VGHFLVLRQLV³QRWEHLQJLQ ÀXHQFHG E\ GHSUHVVLRQ RU SK\VLFDO SDLQ´VKHVDLG2QWKHFRQWUDU\-HV sie looks at her life objectively, sees where it is going and simply chooses to discontinue it. Death with dignity 2QHRIWKHUHDVRQV³¶QLJKW0RWK er” deserved the Pulitzer, Shaffer said, LV WKDW WKH FKDUDFWHUV WZR VWURQJ ZLOOHG ZRPHQ PDNH FRPSHOOLQJ DU guments. Some audience members PD\EHSXWRIIE\-HVVLH¶VXQFRPIRUW ably persuasive case for suicide. Jessie, played by Ann Bronson, ³KDV D PRQRORJXH ZKHUH VKH VD\V she’s been waiting for the person she was supposed to grow up to be, and that person never came,” Shaffer said. Thelma feels responsible for Jesse’s decision and tries to talk her daughter out of it. But Jessie tries to convince her mother that it’s nobody’s GHFLVLRQEXWKHURZQ³,WZDVQ¶WDGH ODXJKWHU ² OLNH ZKHQ PRWKHU DQG daughter just sit down and drink hot cocoa together, she said. ³7KHUH KDYH WR EH PRPHQWV RI levity. There (have) to be moments of tenderness in between the moments of crying and grief and anger, because that makes the happiness even better and the grief even more devastating,” she said. ³<RXQHHGWKHGDUNLQRUGHUIRUWKH light to shine through,” Lathrop said. ³0RVWDVSHFWVRIOLIHKDYHERWKGDUN and light qualities, so, therefore, most plays do also.” Submitted photo by George Vetter/Cannon-Beach.net Ann Bronson, left, and Margaret Page, right, star in the Coaster Theatre’s production of “’night, Mother” as Jessie Cates and Thelma Cates, respectively. The play, which won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for drama, presents suicide not just as a tragedy but as a choice. It is not for younger audiences. cision that she’s come to overnight. This is something she’s been thinking about.” ³$ PRWKHU¶V ORYH LV DQ HOHPHQWDO force, and a mother wants the best for KHUFKLOGUHQ´3DJHVDLG³,W¶VMXVWWKDW sometimes, what the parents want isn’t necessarily what the child wants.” $V ³¶QLJKW 0RWKHU´ ² ZKLFK WDNHVSODFHLQUHDOWLPH²SURFHHGV toward its climax, Thelma watches helplessly as her daughter’s behavior grows increasingly alarming. Jessie, she realizes, is not crying out for help but is on a mission: She is determined WRWDNHFRQWURORYHUDOLIHWKDWKDVXQ til now, offered her very little control. ³,W¶VJRLQJWRPDNHSHRSOHWKLQN ,W¶VJRLQJWRPDNHSHRSOHIHHO´3DJH said. Light and dark 6KDIIHUD\HDU&RDVWHUYHWHUDQ played Thelma in graduate school. :KHQVKHKHDUGWKH&RDVWHU¶VSUR JUDPFRPPLWWHHKDGVHOHFWHG³¶QLJKW 0RWKHU´ IRU LWV VHDVRQ ³, ZDV like, ‘Oh – my – God,’” she said, ODXJKLQJ ³, FRXOGQ¶W HYHQ LPDJLQH myself getting into that headspace again.” Her personal connection to the play is partly why Patrick Lathrop, the theater’s executive director, asked Shaffer to direct it: She already knew WKHSOD\ZHOODQG³KDGDVHQVLWLYLW\WR ward it,” Lathrop said. 8 | February 5, 2015 | coastweekend.com ³,WWDNHV\RXRQDSHUVRQDOMRXUQH\ that turns you inside out,” Shaffer said. ³<RXUHDOO\KDYHWRTXHVWLRQDQGWKLQN DERXWZKDW\RXZRXOGGRLQWKLVVLWXD tion ... and the emotions are high.” ³¶QLJKW 0RWKHU´ ² ZKLFK ODWHU EHFDPH D ¿OP VWDUULQJ 6LVV\ Spacek and Anne Bancroft as Jessie DQG7KHOPDUHVSHFWLYHO\²LVWUDGL WLRQDOO\VWDJHGDVDRQHDFW%XW6KDI fer said she will have an intermission DWURXJKO\WKHPLQXWHPDUNPDN ing the full show almost two hours. Lathrop admits that the play will not be everyone’s cup of tea. He won’t be surprised if there’s at least RQH ZDONRXW GXULQJ LQWHUPLVVLRQ he said. The subject may be one that VRPHIRONVLQWKHDXGLHQFHHLWKHUDU en’t ready to deal with or have dealt with and would rather not do so again. For people who have faced suicide in one form or another, it may be too WULJJHULQJ 7KH\ PD\ VD\ ³µ7KDW¶V just way too close to home,’” Shaffer said. But others who have considered or attempted suicide, or experienced someone they love do the same, may VD\³µ,FDQWRWDOO\UHODWHDQG,¶PVR glad they’re writing something about WKLVEHFDXVHWKLVZLOOKHOSSHRSOHXQ GHUVWDQGZKDW,ZHQWWKURXJK¶´ 7REHFOHDUWKRXJK³¶QLJKW0RWK HU´LVQ¶WDSOD\ZLWKXQLQWHUUXSWHGGH spair. Like most engaging scripts, it contains scenes of joy and love and Empathy Why should anyone see this play? The answer, Shaffer said, is empathy. ³3HRSOH VKRXOG JR VHH LW WR KDYH a better understanding about how to deal with their fellow human beings, DQGWKHLURZQIDPLO\PHPEHUVVRPH WLPHV´ 6KDIIHU VDLG ³+RZ FDQ \RX IRUPDQRSLQLRQDERXWDVXEMHFWPDW ter like suicide unless you know the IXOOVWRU\DQG\RXNQRZWKHHQWLUHUHD soning behind somebody’s decision? ,W¶VQRWVRPHWKLQJWREHWDNHQOLJKWO\´ Page considers a good play one WKDW ³SURYLGHV \RX ZLWK D WDNHDZD\ And the takeaway, in my opinion, from ‘’night, Mother’ is that you can never really know the people around \RX<RX FDQ RQO\ ORYH DQG IRUJLYH WKHP$QG,WKLQNLQWKDWUHVSHFWLW¶V almost an inspiration.” 7KHSXUSRVHRIWKHDWHULV³WRPDNH XVUHÀHFWRQOLIHUHÀHFWRQRXUOLYHV´ Lathrop said. ³/LIH JHWV PHVV\´ 6KDIIHU VDLG ³/HW¶VVKRZLW´ Submitted photo “Jessie Decides” by Justin Lacche. Art inspires art In congruence with the play “’night, Mother,” the Coaster Theatre will show a special exhibit. Artist Justin Lacche created fi ve original paintings about the play, which will be on display at the theater during the show’s run, now through Feb. 21. Lacche lives in Hillsboro, where he works in sports business. He is a former correspondent for The Daily Astorian and a former staff reporter for the Cannon Beach Gazette and the Seaside Signal. Submitted photo “The Moment” by Justin Lacche. the arts VISUAL ARTS • LITERATURE • THEATER • MUSIC & MORE Story by ERICK BENGEL• EO MEDIA GROUP