Mothers and Sons by Terrance McNally

While I cannot say that this show is dated, it, nonetheless feels passe. It is dealing with a twenty-year-old event, and, of course, that past is still quite capable of haunting people. The problem is that the AIDS crisis has seen so much attention theatrically over the past twenty years that while individuals like the mother depicted here may still be struggling to come to terms with it, I think the theatrical community has reached a level of closure. It may be insensitive to say that we have “been there, seen that,” and there are surely still stories out there to be told to move us and give us new insight, but I don't think this is among them. Besides, the innocent child as liaison between generations is far too overdone to rationalize employing a six year-old at TheaterWorks.