BROOKFIELD — A recent performance of ‘Night Mother, the current production by The Brookfield Theatre of the Arts, left the audience in tears. The highly charged Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by Marsha Norman emanates the pain of depression and loneliness as it examines the depths of the fundamentally fraught mother-daughter bond.

While this is a play about the trauma of depression and its treatment by suicide, it is not without humor, love and compassion. Mostly, it is about connection as essential to fulfillment.

Jessie, played by Stacy-Lee Erickson Frome, is a middle aged single mother whose son has become a small time criminal, her husband has left her, and she suffers from a seizure disorder which has rendered her unemployable. Jessie’s only occupation is to oversee, manage, and execute every aspect of her mother’s care.

Jessie’s mother, Thelma (Meg Jones), is disabled in some way, and requires much assistance with her small, daily life. The two have lived together for years in this capacity, passing the days in the doldrums of domesticity while having minimal contact with the outside world, or each other. Despite the closeness of their living quarters, Jessie and Thelma are not close. Much has been left unsaid and unexplored over the years.

When Jessie matter-of-factly announces she plans on shooting herself with her father’s gun, a lifetime’s worth of secrets and feelings are revealed. All the while, Jessie prepares her mother for being alone. She has anticipated this moment and arranged for all of Thelma’s immediate and long terms needs.

As Jessie goes about explaining the function of their existence, she also wants answers for questions she has long harbored. Thelma begs and cajoles Jessie to reconsider, while she gradually comes to a place of some understanding. They talk in a way they never have before. 

A play of this sort works because of magnificent writing. This production works due to the elegant direction of Michael Burnett, the effectiveness of Stacy-Lee Erickson Frome’s portrayal of a woman without hope and in pain, and the absolutely brilliant turn by Meg Jones. She captures Thelma on all levels. Her guilt, frustration, simplicity, loyalty and anguish are so vividly portrayed it actually hurts.

I would be remiss not to mention the flawless set and skillful lighting design by Justin Morgan. Both maximize the feelings of warmth and yet despair.

Do not shy away from this moving piece. While it sheds light in a dark place, it also evokes compassion for those who suffer and those who love them. There is humor and kindness in the time they have together.

This is a brave and beautiful work of art in every regard, and there is just one more weekend to experience it. Don’t miss it.

Remaining performances are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, November 20-21, at 8 pm. Tickets are $20 adults, and $15 for students.

The Brookfield Theatre for the Arts, at 184 Whisconier Road, can be reached for tickets or additional information by calling 203-775-0023 or visiting brookfieldtheatre.org.