Tales Well Told: The Revolt of “Mother”

The Revolt of “Mother” performance is based on a short story by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman that was originally published in Harper’s Bazaar in 1890 and then appeared in Freeman’s second short story collection A New England Nun and Other Stories.  The story addresses themes of domestic rebellion, self-assertion, the repression of women, and tradition in a male-dominated society. Performed by professional actress Michèle LaRue the short play showcases how one woman takes a stand against an authoritarian husband.

A Chicago native, Michèle LaRue is based in New Jersey, twenty minutes from Broadway, NYC. She tours nationally with a repertoire of 30 Tales Well Told—stories from America’s Gilded Age. Her fascination with this period grew from her work with New Jersey’s East Lynne Company—founded in 1980 by her late husband, Warren Kliewer, to revive “earlier” American plays and literature.

Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman was born in Randolph, Massachusetts, on October 31, 1852, and spent most of her life there until her marriage in 1902, when she moved to Metuchen, New Jersey. The scenes she knew in eastern Massachusetts form the background for most of her tales of New England rural life. Her first collections of stories, A Humble Romance and A New England Nun, established her reputation and contain her finest work. Less successful were her novels, including Jane Field and Pembroke. Her play Giles Corey, Yeoman, about the Salem witchcraft trials, was published in 1893, decades before Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.

The performance is made possible by the Friends of the Library.  Proceeds from Friends’ memberships and from book sales help enhance and support library services by underwriting interesting and entertaining events for all ages.  Won’t you be a Friend? Join or renew today online.