Mary Jane

by Amy Herzog

“The most profound and harrowing of Ms. Herzog’s many fine plays.” —Jesse Green, New York Times

Armed with medicines, feeding tubes, and various medical equipment, Mary Jane is a single mother and indefatigable force when it comes to caring for her young, sick child. A moving play about the stalwart endurance of a devoted mother, Mary Jane demonstrates the prevailing strength of the human will when fueled by unconditional love.

Genres: Plays, Audiobook, Fiction, Drama, Theatre, Grief, Disability

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Amy Herzog is an American playwright. Her play 4000 Miles, which ran Off-Broadway in 2011, was a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Her play Mary Jane, which ran Off-Broadway in 2017, won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play.

Reviews

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story 4 stars**
Audio 5 stars**
Narrators Rachel McAdams
April Mathis
Brenda Whels
Lily Santiago
Susan Pourfar

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Updated review, 4/13/24:

I wanted to reread this, as Rachel McAdams is currently making her Broadway debut in a new production of it. Aside from the fact, at 45, she's at least 10 years too old for the title character (meow!), she would seem to be ideal casting. I didn't know till reading the NYT review of the off-Broadway production (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/25/th...), that Herzog herself is the mother of a 'special needs' child, which accounts for the verisimilitude here. It's still a play that I think most people would have a hard time 'enjoying', even though there are moments of humor and bright spots, but it's inherently just very sad.

3.5, rounded up.

Herzog, as always, demonstrates both her facility for naturalistic dialogue and character development, as she tackles a very challenging subject (caregiving for a special needs child with little hope for anything but a vegetative existence) with both delicacy and precision. But it all kind of smacks of being little more than a high-brow 'Lifetime' drama. Extra points, however, for an all-female cast, giving five actresses a chance to play nuanced, well-defined characters.

[Taury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Jane by Amy Herzog is a play based on a single mother of a chronically ill child. Mary Jane navigates through the mental and emotionally challenge of advocating and caring for a developmentally disabled child on her own. During this time Mary Jane explores her own spiritual needs.

[Karolina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this via audible and really enjoyed Rachel McAdams narration.

[Lanie D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the main character, but literally what was the plot?? It just stopped basically mid sentence?

[Jade Tecli · Rating 1 out of 5]

WASTE OF TIME!

What was the point of this novella?

[BougieBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

What was that ending?!

[Kyana Weekes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really sad but beautiful. Love Rachel McAdams’ performance

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a devastatingly lovely play. This play gets the love and care that goes into parenting profoundly disabled children, the undercurrent of despair, the victories, the setbacks—the way life is just different once it’s structured around someone who is fundamentally dependent on you. It asks big questions about meaning of suffering, if there’s a why to it all or a way it can help us see the world better, without coming to an easy answer. Mary Jane, and all of these women, show strength and resilience in their joy and desire to care for people, young, old, dependent, that inspires. Even as it, sometimes, oftentimes, deeply sucks. Take a bow, Amy Herzog. I sincerely hope to see this someday; adding it to the dream directing projects list.

[maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this— it’s quite powerful even on the page, and I’d love to do the audiobook or see a production someday to experience the full impact of the piece (still lamenting the fact that they didn’t record an audiobook of the Carrie Coon-led production)

[Aran Chandran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Herzog displays the quiet strength and endurance of a mother’s love as she changes her life to care for her disabled child.

The play moves from easy humorous parts to heart wrenching disquiet, as we contemplate the fatigue, the meaning of suffering and the community of support that floats us in the chaotic seas of life.

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick listen on audible. It felt like I was listening to people in the same room. Sometimes when it was muffled around the child I think that it means it’s through his ears? I’m not sure. I was left confused by the ending and am trying to understand it better..

[Madeleine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was liking it, but the ending was far too abrupt, and not in a way that seemed like a strong creative choice.

[Ethan Li]

quietly beautiful. wish I saw this during nyu admitted students weekend instead of mother play

[Katie Gainey-West · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting, but I found this play to be horribly depressing and with an ambiguous and unsatisfying ending. I know my own experiences colored my opinion of this play. It wasn’t my favorite.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful, eloquent piece about the power and eloquent e of a parent's determination.

[Nora Keating · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the subject matter was interesting, a young mother caring for and loving a severely disabled child, I couldn’t connect to any of it. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I was watching it as a stage play, but I don’t know. Other reviews described it as profound, I mostly found it boring. Again for subject matter that is based around something in life that would be all consuming and extremely difficult emotionally, it didnt seem to delve deep into those emotions and everything felt pretty surface. Even the conversation between two mothers who are both going through what must be any parent’s worst nightmare, watching the child you love be in pain, felt pretty flat and insipid.
Again maybe better as a visual performance and not just a read,

[Kym Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

my GOD

[Kayden Merritt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mary flop.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

🎧 Short, powerful, and deeply human.

This Audible performance pulled me in immediately. It felt less like listening to an audiobook and more like watching real life unfold in front of me. The acting was incredible — it was so natural that I could see every moment happening.

As a mom and a nurse, this one hit very close to home for me. The main character felt incredibly real. She’s the kind of mom who knows her child, knows the system, and knows exactly what needs to happen — but that doesn’t make the journey any less exhausting or lonely.

The story captures something that people don’t always talk about enough: two things can be true at the same time. You can be strong and capable while also feeling overwhelmed and isolated. This story shows that balance beautifully.

Even though it’s short, it stayed with me. I actually found myself wishing there was more — not because the story felt incomplete, but because I wanted to know what happened next. The ending leaves you wondering about the future, and I suspect I’ll think about this one again.

The format reminded me a lot of Graphic Audio, which I love. The performances make the story feel immersive and emotional in a way traditional narration sometimes can’t.

💭 This one will stick with me. I’m still a little teary thinking about it.

📚 Who should listen:
Any parent or family member caring for a medically fragile child. If you want to better understand what that journey can look like — the strength, the fear, the loneliness, and the love — this story is worth your time.

[Elsa Gaxiola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Alex saved Mary Jane's life.

It reminded me of the Parable of the Chinese Farmer.

Spoiler:

There are two things that make me think this. First, at the end Mary Jane is telling her last visitor, the Chaplain, how she gets really bad headaches and she often passes out. She considers this something normal for her. But the Chaplain tells her that they are probably a Neurological event.

Second, in the last anecdote before the book ends she is talking about how snow flakes are fractal. That word sounds a little like Fractured to me.

So it kind of tells me that maybe Mary Jane has been sick for a long time. But since her whole focus has been Alex she has been ignoring the symptoms.

So when she is at the hospital because of Alex and she has an episode in front of someone else and she passes out, she finally gets the help she's needed, probably since she was a young girl.

Why did I think of the parable of the Chinese Farmer because we don't know what life uncertainties actually mean. We don't know what impact they may or may not have on our lives.

I obviously don't know what the author meant by her ending. And I really don't know about Taoism to explain with more clarity what the Chinese Farmer parable means in all it's levels. But this made sense to me in how the book ended.

My point is that I believe that Alex saved Mary Jane in more ways that we can imagine.

[Ali VanOverbeke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story: 4.5 stars
Audio: 5 stars! (Rachel McAdams, April Mathis, Brenda Whels, Lily Santiago, Susan Pourfar)

Mary Jane by Amy Herzog is a powerful play about caregiving, resilience, and the complexities of life. Set in a modest Brooklyn apartment, the story centers around Mary Jane, a single mother caring for her chronically ill two-year old. As a mother of a two-year-old myself, this play tugged at my heartstrings with every second of the audio.

While I disliked the name choice of the main character (Why Mary Jane? What’s with the drug reference?), Herzog’s writing is intimate and compassionate, bringing deep emotional weight to everyday moments. That’s the thing about this play, every day moments happen to us all (family visits, appointments, illness, talking with strangers, work talk, etc) and that’s what makes this unbelievably difficult situation so relatable.

The characters are also relatable and the themes of compassion and sacrifice resonate strongly. All and all, a beautiful, thought-provoking play depicting the balance of human strength and vulnerability. It is certainly a play I would love to see on stage!

[Cheyenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, largely due to my habit of going into books blind. When I first started, I was expecting there to be another, more sinister layer to this, like Munchausen's by proxy. After several scenes, however, I realized that the story is exactly what it claims to be, and that allowed me to relax into appreciating it for what it is: tragic. The sound design of this really works to its benefit, emphasizing the chaos of Mary Jane's life. The music therapy scene did this particularly effectively, and I found myself tearing up a little during that.

The only thing that kept this from being five stars for me was that the ending felt like it was missing a punch for me. It was very metaphorically resonant -- her vision is gradually completely overtaken with a fractal, or endless repetition of the same thing over and over, until it becomes unclear whether or not she can still see anything else -- but I think something could have been added to make it hit a little bit harder. Otherwise, this did a great job for what it was.

[Anthony Giancola · Rating 3 out of 5]

No denying Amy Herzog’s brilliance as a playwright. She has an advanced talent for naturalism within her dialogue, and she tackles domestic dramas incredibly well.

That said, I do grow weary of this specific style of non-play. Wherein the main action is no action, that the presentation of a situation is the beginning and end of the play. You can basically tell at the top, this isn’t going to resolve, it isn’t going to even end really.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but subjectively I find that to be an exceptionally uninteresting approach to drama. And bluntly, using an unseen sick child as emotional training wheels to try and illicit some form of reaction from an audience is cheap and beneath Herzog as a dramatist.

Enjoyed the script more than the production!
Mostly because the script doesn’t have to have Rex from Victorious sitting in the hospital bed during the second act. (Niche joke, but no one reads these anyway)

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was liking this and then the end happened. It was too abrupt and not in a way that felt like a creative choice. I would really like to see this one day as it was thought provoking and I wonder if seeing it would help the ending make more sense.

I am not a crier but this play made me tear up when she started describing her son to the chaplain at the hospital. For some reason, I wasn't expecting him to be as young as he was so when she said all the things she knew about him and then stated his age it felt like a gut punch to me.Not sure if I missed her say his age earlier in the play but I hope not as it felt more impactful to find his age at that moment.

I think this is a story that will speak to all parents, especially moms, of special needs kids. I just have trouble processing the ending as it finishes so abruptly mid sentence that I'm not quite sure what the point of that was.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh Amy Herzog, I don't know what to make of you.

I hated 4000 Miles and I truly enjoyed (daresay loved?) this much much much more.

Like 4000 Miles, nothing really happens and we are treated to Mary Jane's relationship with eight different characters (four actresses double parts) while never seeing her relationship with her son Alex (onstage at least). It's an interesting dynamic and Mary Jane is one hell of a character that I can't imagine is easy for any actress. She's undeniably likable and we want nothing but a happy ending for her despite the hell surrounding her.

But jeez, can this work as a play? It's certainly fascinating to read but to see it live could be the biggest snoozefest. It just ends and I was craving more.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this short audio drama, Mary Jane is the mother to an debilitated small child, who needs around-the-clock skilled medical care. The dialogue takes through "ordinary" days and emergency crises. As her son's seizure condition worsens, Mary Jane asks spiritual questions about suffering and life, all while celebrating her son as an individual and embracing their lives to their fullest possibility. This is a highly emotional listen, and I personally wanted more from the plotting and dropped conclusion. The ending is abrupt and ambiguous, dropping the story mid-conversation, nearly mid-sentence but for the final hanging question.

This performance, starring Rachel McAdams, is available as an Audible Original.

[Austin Shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amy Herzog’s Mary Jane is a quietly devastating portrait of caretaking, buoyed by compassion and unsentimental clarity. Through spare, lucid scenes, Herzog follows a single mother navigating the labyrinth of hospitals, insurance, and daily survival while building an improvised community of women around her. The dialogue hums with lived-in detail—dry humor, bureaucratic absurdity, tiny flashes of grace—and the play’s refusal to veer into melodrama makes its emotional punches land even harder. The craft is impeccable. Herzog writes with the patience of a documentarian and the heart of a poet, giving actors rich, generous roles and audiences a tender, unvarnished look at resilience. A humane, beautifully observed play that lingers long after the lights come up.

[Mitchel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amy Herzog's "Mary Jane" is an expertly crafted play with a deeply textured realism.

Mary Jane is a mom whose 2 year old son is severely sick. Each scene introduces us to a different woman - caretaker, nurse, even a landlord - that comprises the constellation of care needed to support those who cannot support themselves. In the midst of all that is out of her control regarding her son's medical situation, Mary Jane faces the unforeseen armed with kindness, humility and a fierce devotion to her son. Herzog shows us that kindness should not be mistaken for softness; indeed, Mary Jane's love for her son is as hard as diamond-light.

[MELISSA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absorbing story from the start as I was drawn in immediately to this single mother attempting to work a job and care for a severely ill almost three-year-old son. The first part had the reader experiencing Mary Jane interacting in her apartment at various intervals with the building superintendent, a home healthcare nurse and a visitor. The story then moves to the hospital with Mary Jane interacting with various people - doctors, nurses, a music therapist and a Buddhist nun. A lot was packed into this short story as the author created real characters in real environments. How she managed to do so much in so little time is amazing as was the cast of characters. A fully emotional list