Catherine and Cal look back on the memories of the fallen Andre.
The AIDS crisis of the 80s may have occurred over thirty years ago, but it’s far from a distant memory. The tragedy is still fresh in the minds of those who suffered the anguish of losing a loved one to the dreaded disease. Some people move on with their lives and hold the departed in a cherished, but distant part of their mind. However, some people become engulfed in the sorrow of loss.
In Mothers and Sons, the crushing blow of death by the hands of this gruesome affliction is illustrated through the story of Catherine Gerard (Tyne Daly), a mother who lost her only son, Andre to the dreaded disease. Twenty years later, Catherine pays a surprise visit to the home of her sons’ former lover, Cal Porter (Frederick Weller), in order to bring him Andre’s old diary.
The two hadn’t spoken since Andre’s funeral, and even before that they never spoke much. Since that heartbreaking day, their lives have changed dramatically; Cal is now married to Will Ogden (Bobby Steggert) and they’re happily raising a son together. Catherine, on the other hand, has now lost her husband and finds herself bewildered by a life of loneliness.
The play unfolds over a single unbroken scene where Catherine and Cal both reminisce about Andre, and clash over their differing views of what his life represented. Catherine also gets her chance to interact with Will and the couple’s son, Bud (Grayson Taylor), and her attempts to cherish the memories of her own son are challenged by the life he actually lived, in vain of her contempt for it.
Daly delivers a performance worthy of the greatest praise. Even though Catherine is full of scorn, Daly makes the character shine past her cold demeanor. As she and Cal parse through the pictures and play posters of Andre’s bygone memory, they unravel the aching feelings that they had both buried away in the wake of their loved one’s untimely death, which still precipitates over their lives.
Mothers and Sons is a devastating look into the aftermath of the AIDS scare. 20 years after the death of the only link in their lives, Catherine and Cal come together and show that no matter how much time has passed, Andre’s death will forever radiate through their lives. In the play’s powerful final moments, the sounds of sniffling could be heard throughout the audience. The characters’ tears felt sincere, and the tears of the audience were real. Mothers and Sons may lull in some moments, but the emotion beams off stage into the hearts of those familiar with the pain of death, and the suppressing effect pain has on the human constitution.
Mothers and Sons wrapped up its Broadway run on June 22nd, 2014. An international tour is scheduled to begin next year.
– Alex Falls
