When you go to see Morning Sun, bring a lot of Kleenex. Unless you have a heart of stone, you will cry.
This is a simple play, one set, three characters. But oh, how glorious these characters are in the hands of Blair Brown, Marin Ireland, and especially Edie Falco. There is no real story line, but 50 years worth of living is highlighted in the mother, daughter, and granddaughter on the stage. Other characters, mostly male, are also part of history of these women, and the actresses easily switch back and forth. Everyone has had ups and downs, and it's this that we realize and identify with.
The play is short, about one hour and forty minutes, with no intermission. This helps to facilitate the tension that builds from the first line, "Am I safe?" The answer is that none of us are when it comes to heartbreak, disappointment, and poor choices. My one gripe is that I have no clue where the action takes place. We are confined in an ugly gray building, with the windows blocked off. Is this a hospital, or hell, or maybe the White Horse Tavern, which is a place where actors congregate?
Falco begins the action as Charlotte, who informs her mother (Blair Brown) that she now wants to be called "Charlie," because it suits her better. Mom tells her that Charlotte is a beautiful name, but in truth there's not much that's beautiful in Charlie's life. Her one real joy is her daughter, Tess (Marin Ireland), who always is too far away. The best decision Charlie makes is to walk away from the abortion she has considered.
This is a timely piece about the '80's, and the subjects veer from which Beetle is the best, to the nightmare of Aids in the hospital where Charlie works. She laments the fact that no one seems to be paying attention to the crisis.
Grandma is a tough character, who always knows which button to push to cause pain. She tells Tess that she's wasting her intelligence going to the New School. She deeply cuts Charlie to the quick by declaring her a bad mother. But in the end, these women are bound together, for better or worse; they are a family.
It's worth seeing this play just for the brilliant aria Edie Falco brings to the finale. Her description of all that she's been through, or would like to do, is breathtaking. What a gift she is to the American theater!
These three women, working in concert, are nothing short of inspiring. This is definitely a "don't miss" experience.
