Andre's Mother

Last updated
Andre's Mother
AndresMother.JPG
Written by Terrence McNally
Directed byDeborah Reinisch
Starring Richard Thomas
Sada Thompson
Sylvia Sidney
Music byJonathan Sheffer
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerLindsay Law
Producers Sarah Green
Deborah Reinisch
CinematographyBobby Bukowski
EditorJeffrey Wolf
Running time50 minutes
Production company American Playhouse
Release
Original network PBS
Original release
  • March 7, 1990 (1990-03-07)

Andre's Mother is a 1990 American made-for-television drama film written by Terrence McNally, adapted from his 1988 stage play, directed by Deborah Reinisch and starring Richard Thomas, Sada Thompson, and Sylvia Sidney. It was broadcast on the PBS television program American Playhouse on March 7, 1990.

Contents

Plot

The play is set at the Manhattan memorial service for Andre Gerard, who died of AIDS and was buried in Dallas several weeks earlier. Andre's mother Katharine cannot come to terms with his death or share her grief with Cal, Andre's lover. Her rage is directed not only at Cal and her own mother, who was less judgmental of her grandson's life, but at Andre himself as well.

Cast

Production

The screenplay by Terrence McNally is an expansion of his eight-minute play written for an anthology titled Urban Blight that was produced by the Manhattan Theater Club in 1988. [2] [3] [4]

The film was produced by WGBH Boston and was broadcast on March 14, 1990, by PBS stations nationwide as part of the American Playhouse series. [1] It was released on Region 1 DVD on April 25, 2006.

Critical reception

John O'Connor of The New York Times called it one of those

...programs that vividly illustrate why public television can be indispensable....

"Andre's Mother" has been given a superb cast and an exquisite production ....

Even in this sensitive exercise, obviously, the subject of AIDS is handled with some trepidation. Andre cannot be just an average guy; he has to be a paragon.... But the AIDS epidemic is claiming ordinary and exceptionally gifted citizens alike. Perhaps they can all merit television's unselfconscious compassion some day. Meanwhile, bolstered powerfully by the performances of Miss Thompson and Mr. Thomas, "Andre's Way" makes encouraging headway in the right direction. [2]

Awards

McNally won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special, and the National Board of Review named it Outstanding Television Movie of the Year.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrence McNally</span> American playwright (1938–2020)

Terrence McNally was an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonnie Franklin</span> American actress (1944–2013)

Bonnie Gail Franklin was an American actress, known for her leading role as Ann Romano in the television series One Day at a Time (1975–1984). She was nominated for Emmy, Tony, and Golden Globe Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sylvia Sidney</span> American actress (1910–1999)

Sylvia Sidney was an American stage, screen and film actress whose career spanned over 70 years. She rose to prominence in dozens of leading roles in the 1930s. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams in 1973. She later gained attention for her role as Juno, a case worker in the afterlife, in Tim Burton's 1988 film Beetlejuice, for which she won a Saturn Award as Best Supporting Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethan Phillips</span> American actor

Ethan Phillips is an American actor and playwright. He is best known for his television roles as Neelix on Star Trek: Voyager and PR man Pete Downey on Benson.

Love! Valour! Compassion! is a play by Terrence McNally. The play opened Off-Broadway in 1994 and transferred to Broadway in 1995. It won the Tony Award for Best Play and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sada Thompson</span> American actress

Sada Carolyn Thompson was an American stage, film, and television actress. She was known to television audiences as Kate Lawrence in Family (1976-1980).

Tina Chen is a Chinese-American stage, film, and television actress who starred in the films Alice's Restaurant, Three Days of the Condor, and The Hawaiians.

<i>American Playhouse</i> Anthology television series

American Playhouse is an American anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Drivas</span> American actor (1935–1986)

Robert Drivas was an American actor and threatre director.

<i>The Rink</i> (musical)

The Rink is a musical with a book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and music by John Kander, the tenth Kander and Ebb collaboration.

<i>Lips Together, Teeth Apart</i>

Lips Together, Teeth Apart is a play by American playwright Terrence McNally. The play, which premiered Off-Broadway in 1991, concerns two straight couples who spend a weekend in a gay community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Last Mile (1992 film)</span>

The Last Mile is a short comedy-drama filmed play written by Terrence McNally and directed by Paul Bogart for Public television's Great Performances 20th Anniversary Special (1992). The 15-minute film aired on American Public television stations in October 1992. The play concerns the hopes and fears of a soprano making her Metropolitan Opera debut.

<i>The Lisbon Traviata</i>

The Lisbon Traviata is a play by Terrence McNally. The play premiered Off-Broadway in 1989. It revolves around several opera fans, especially of the opera singer Maria Callas, and their gay relationships.

A Perfect Ganesh is a play written by Terrence McNally which premiered Off-Broadway in 1993. Narrated by Ganesha, Hindu god of "wisdom, prudence, acceptance and love," it is the story of two friends, Margaret Civil and Katharine Brynne, who explore their differences, life-tragedies, and opinions during a healing trip to India. Ganesha accompanies the women through a series of exhilarating moments and profound experiences in a climate and culture that is completely foreign to the two travelers.

Mothers and Sons is a play by Terrence McNally, which opened on Broadway in 2014.

It's Only a Play is a play by Terrence McNally. The play originally opened off-off-Broadway in 1982. It was revived off-Broadway in 1986, and on Broadway in 2014. The plot concerns a party where a producer, playwright, director, actors and their friends eagerly wait for the opening night reviews of their Broadway play.

<i>Terrence McNally: Every Act of Life</i> 2018 documentary film

Terrence McNally: Every Act of Life is a 2018 documentary film about playwright Terrence McNally. It was directed, produced and written by Jeff Kaufman, and produced by Marcia S. Ross. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2018. It will be distributed by The Orchard in November 2018. An expanded and illustrated version of the script will be published by Smith and Kraus in October 2018. Terrence McNally: Every Act of Life aired June 14, 2019 on PBS’ “American Masters.”

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Kirdahy</span>

Thomas Joseph Kirdahy is an American Tony and Olivier Award-winning theatrical producer, lawyer, and activist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leland Moss</span> Theatre director

Leland Moss was an American theatre director, writer, and gay activist who died from AIDS at age 41.

Karen Ludwig is an American actress, director, and teacher.

References

  1. 1 2 Andre's Mother paleycenter.org, accessed March 1, 2016
  2. 1 2 O'Connor, John J. (March 7, 1990). "Review/Television; Accepting the Lover of a Son Dead of AIDS". The New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  3. ↑ Haun, Harry. "'Andre's Mother' Derides Again: Playwright Terrence McNally Revisits Old Sorrows and Finds a New Life" The Observer, March 19, 2014
  4. ↑ Brown, Patricia Lee. "Twenty Playwrights Survey Urban Life" The New York Times, June 19, 1988
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.