'Night, Mother Summary
Marsha Norman

Marsha Norman's first published essay, "Why Do Good Men Suffer"" (1964), written while she was in high school, was awarded first place in a local writing contest and subsequently published in the Kent... Read more

'Night, Mother premiered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in a production by the American Repertory Theater in December 1982. The following March it opened in New York at the John Golden Theater. I... Read more

In this review, Gill praises the powerful simplicity of 'night, Mother. "With superb confidence in her powers," he observes, "the author dispenses with the usual artifices ... Read more

In the following favorable assessment of 'night, Mother, Brustein asserts that the play "proceeds with the relentless force of a juggernaut, displaying not a single moment of artifice or... Read more

In the negative review below, Kauffmann contends that 'night, Mother is "a device, a stunt, and not an authentic drama; and it fails a being even the drama it claims to be." If... Read more

In the following excerpt, Demastes examines Norman's efforts to convey complex but inarticulate characters in 'night, Mother. With Marsha Norman's play 'night, Mother (1... Read more

In the following essay, Hart discusses the central theme of women's quest for freedom, control, and autonomy in Getting Out and 'night, Mother. Marsha Norman became a celebrity in her... Read more

In the following essay, Karter discusses the cross-cultural differences that were raised when he directed a production of Norman's 'night, Mother, translated into Russian, at a theater i... Read more

In the following essay, Whited examines the motif of suicide in 'night, Mother and Beth Henley's Crimes of the Heart, noting that both plays present connecting with family and community ... Read more

In the following essay, Spencer contrasts the responses of male and female critics to 'night, Mother, asserting that the play foregrounds issues of female identity, feminine autonomy, and the m... Read more

Critical Essay by John Simon 'night, Mother [is] honest, uncompromising, lucid, penetrating, well-written, dramatic, and as unmanipulatively moving as we expected from the author of the remark... Read more

Critical Essay by Stanley Kauffmann If the hoopla about Marsha Norman's new play ['night, Mother] were credible, the current state of American drama would be better than it is…. ... Read more