A friend’s phone call a few weeks ago left me intrigued about a play at a regional theater not far from where I live. “It has something to do with a sister and a brother, and a mother and a son. I thought you might be interested because of your book.” I agreed, and dragging our better halves with us, we went to the show. Two days later, I am still creeped out.
The play, called Jen and John, opens with a girl and her little brother who is six years younger. We watch them age – which since the cast included just two actors playing the roles, it was more like a voice change – and she continues to protect him, especially from their abusive dad. She then goes off to college and becomes a hippie. He enlists in the military and gets sent to Vietnam. And – spoiler alert – he dies.
I was okay with the first act. And admittedly, the actors were very good. I was even touched a bit here and there thinking of my own kids – my daughter is older by four years and is very protective of her younger brother. But then we came back from intermission.
Now the woman is grown and married – though apparently divorced – has a baby who is named after her brother, of course. She tells him he looks like his dead uncle and promises to dress him in his clothes. (I couldn’t make this up.) Then the baby (played by the same adult actor from Scene One) grows up, learns that his mother had been hiding his acceptance to an Ivy League college for two weeks (What mother does that?) and then angrily storms out of the house and rushes to tell his girlfriend the good news. Oh yeh, Mom doesn’t like the girlfriend.
So why does Mom conceal the fact that her son has gotten into college? She doesn’t want him to leave. In fact, she makes it very clear to him that she would like him to remain at home, forever, apparently. Despite his testy reaction to her request, he ultimately has an epiphany. You know, Mom has been so good to him, maybe he should just stay home. He decides to call the college and tell them he’s not coming, he would rather throw away an opportunity of a lifetime to stay at home with his mom.
How are you feeling now? Like me?
One more thing, this was a musical.
