Mary Jane (play)

Mary Jane is a two-act dramatic stage play written by American playwright Amy Herzog. The play had its World Premiere at Yale Repertory Theatre in 2017 and officially premiered on Broadway on April 23, 2024. The Broadway cast is led by Rachel McAdams in the titular role.^[1] The play won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play in 2018.^[2] The play is semi-autobiographical and based on Herzog's daughter Frances, who was born with nemaline myopathy and died at age 11 in 2023.^[3][4]

Mary Jane
Broadway Promotional Poster
Written by	Amy Herzog
Date premiered	April 28, 2017
Place premiered	Yale Repertory Theatre
Original language	English
Subject	Contemporary
Genre	Drama
Setting	New York City, Present Day

Synopsis

As Mary Jane navigates both the mundane and the unfathomable realities of caring for Alex, her chronically ill young son, she finds herself building a community of women from many walks of life.

Characters

The following are characters in the play:^[5]

• Mary Jane - a mother in her thirties
• Ruthie - a building superintendent
• Sherry - a nurse
• Brianne - a Facebook friend
• Amelia - Sherry's niece, a college student
• Dr. Toros - a pediatric intensivist
• Kat - a music therapist
• Chaya - a Hasidic Jewish woman
• Tenkei - a Buddhist nun

Notable casts

Character	Yale	Off-Broadway	Broadway
	2017		2024
Mary Jane	Emily Donahoe	Carrie Coon	Rachel McAdams
Chaya / Brianne	Miriam Silverman	Susan Pourfar
Ruthie / Tenkai	Kathleen Chalfant	Brenda Wehle
Sherry / Dr. Toros	Shona Tucker	Liza Colón-Zayas	April Mathis
Amelia / Kat	Vella Lovell	Danaya Esperanza	Lily Santiago

Production history

The play was first staged by Yale Repertory Theatre from April 28-May 20, 2017, directed by Anne Kauffman. The play was commissioned through Yale's Binger Center for New Theatre. The play was the recipient of the 2016 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award and was also awarded a grant through the Laurents/Hatcher Foundation. It was the second play Herzog had developed at Yale, the first being Belleville.^[6] The play was a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the oldest and largest prize awarded exclusively to women playwrights.^[7]

The play was next staged Off-Broadway by the New York Theatre Workshop from September 6 - October 29, 2017.^[8] For the title role of Mary Jane, Carrie Coon was nominated for the Drama Desk Award^[9] and received an Obie Award for her performance.^[10] The Off-Broadway production also received 7 Lucille Lortel nominations.^[11]

The play opened on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre as part of Manhattan Theatre Club's 2023–2024 season, again directed by Anne Kauffman.^[12] The production began previews on April 2, 2024 and officially opened on April 23, 2024. The production closed after a limited engagement run on June 30, 2024.

Awards and nominations

2017 Off-Broadway debut

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
2018	Obie Award	Playwriting	Amy Herzog	Won	[13]
		Direction	Anne Kauffman	Won
		Actress	Carrie Coon	Won
	Drama Desk Awards	Outstanding Play	Amy Herzog	Nominated
		Outstanding Actress in a Play	Carrie Coon	Nominated
	New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards	Best Play	Amy Herzog	Won
	Lucille Lortel Award	Outstanding Director	Anne Kauffman	Won
		Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play	Carrie Coon	Won
		Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play	Liza Colón-Zayas	Nominated
		Outstanding Scenic Design	Laura Jellinek	Nominated
		Outstanding Lighting Design	Japhy Weideman	Nominated
		Outstanding Sound Design	Leah Gelpe	Won

2024 Broadway

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
2024	Tony Awards	Best Play	Amy Herzog	Nominated	[14]
		Best Actress in a Play	Rachel McAdams	Nominated
		Best Direction of a Play	Anne Kauffman	Nominated
		Best Sound Design of a Play	Leah Gelpe	Nominated
	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play	Rachel McAdams	Nominated	[15]
	Drama League Award	Outstanding Revival of a Play		Nominated	[16]
		Distinguished Performance	Rachel McAdams	Nominated
	Outer Critics Circle Awards	Outstanding Revival of a Play		Nominated	[17]
		Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play	Rachel McAdams	Nominated
	Theatre World Award		Rachel McAdams	Won	[18]