Jessica Lange (‘Mother Play’) explores ‘what it means to be lonely’ within 12 minutes of haunting silence [Exclusive Video Interview]
“I thought at least once, I should try a brand new play,” reveals Jessica Lange of her return to Broadway in “Mother Play.” The acclaimed actress won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Mary Tyrone in “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” but she had only ever worked on the classics when it came to theater. So this new play by Paula Vogel provided the “perfect opportunity” to originate a role on stage and present audiences with something they had never seen. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
Lange portrays Phyllis in the play, a woman based on Vogel’s own mother. We see Phyllis spend decades moving her children (played by Celia Keenan-Bolger and Jim Parsons) from one run down apartment to the next, struggling to offer them proper maternal care, and battling a drinking habit.
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WATCH Celia Keenan-Bolger video interview: ‘Mother Play’
“It’s been a wild ride,” exclaims Lange, who looks back on their brief three week rehearsal period with astonishment. But the opportunity to chart the evolution of Phyllis over the course of a 40 year period was “something really fascinating to investigate,” according to the actress. She gives great credit to her costars for shaping that journey with her each night. “There’s something almost magical that happens when we hit the stage,” describes Lange, “and suddenly we’re this strange family kind of lost in time. And just their presence on stage always grounds me, and it’s been a joy working with them.”
Vogel has of course written some incredible dialogue for Lange to deliver, but one of the actress’ most affecting scenes is surprisingly, a silent one. After failing to accept her children after they both have come out to her, Phyllis finds herself alone on stage as Lange walks the audience through her nightly, lonely, routine. The sequence lasts for a haunting 12 minutes, and the audience hangs on every wordless moment.
WATCH Jim Parsons video interview: ‘Mother Play’
“When I first read that scene, I mean, obviously I didn’t know physically how long it would play out, but it was fascinating to me that it was such an in-depth kind of dive into what it means to be lonely,” recalls Lange. “This is the price that’s paid. How does a woman, how does anybody come home to an empty house, an empty apartment with the evening stretching out before her, how do you fill that time?” Lange enjoys filling out the scene with “small movements” and various recollections that play across her face. “Every night there’s different images that come to my mind, different memories,” she explains. “I always look forward to that 12 minutes.”
Phyllis is just the latest character in Lange’s repertoire to live in the extremes of human emotion. As far as the actress is concerned, that’s her sweet spot. “It’s great because you have this wild kind of freedom in the extremes,” she reveals, “and that, to me, is always the most interesting to play. People who are kind of teetering on the edge…It kind of blows the top off, and I find those parts really great, to play madness.”
Lange is a two-time Oscar winner for “Tootsie” and “Blue Sky.” She is a three-time Emmy winner for “Grey Gardens,” “American Horror Story” and “American Horror Story: Coven.” “Mother Play” marks her second Tony nomination, after winning for “Long Day’s Journey Into Night.”
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