This brilliant Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Marsha Norman examines the conflict between the will to survive and the choice not to. The original Broadway production made a star of Kathy Bates as the suicidal woman who spends an evening preparing her mother for her departure. This is a riveting script. ( )

"Boa Noite, Mãe" é a história de Jesse, uma epiléptica divorciada que anuncia tranquilamente à própria mãe que se vai suicidar. Esta é a premissa fascinante, que entretanto é drenada de qualquer vitalidade ou emoção. O gancho acaba sendo fraude - à história que se segue faltam substância, gravidade e valor revelador. O resultado final não é uma peça teatral, mas sim um cansativo teste de resistência. As duas mulheres andam da sala de estar à cozinha e vice-versa. E não custa lembrar: ¨suicide is NOT painless¨ - suicídio é um tema virtualmente doloroso para qualquer platéia, por mais masoquista que ela seja. ( )

it hurts and it's brutal & yet it's extraordinarily comforting to read because something about it is so mundane when it's anything but ( )

This is my favorite play. And yes, that includes Shakespeare. There isn't a whole lot that happens, but I love the way that Norman slowly builds tension through the smallest acts. From the first line Jessie's mind is made up, and she spends the next ninety minutes preparing her mother for a time when she won't be there for her anymore. It's sad to see how Jessie's life has come to this point, and heartbreaking to watch the final interactions between her and her mother. ( )

Interesting play. I thought Norman's portrayal of a woman who decides to kill herself was realistic and genuine. She did not step into the realm of melodrama nor did she tie everything up in a neat package. The film adaptation with Sissy Spacek and Anne Bancroft is pretty crappy, though. Stick to the play. ( )