I Remember Mama by John Van Druten
"I Remember Mama" is a play by John Van Druten, adapted from Kathryn Forbes' stories in "Mama's Bank Account." The narrative centers around Katrin, a young Norwegian American girl growing up in early 20th century San Francisco. The play features a blend of family dynamics, cultural identity, and the challenges of adolescence, depicting Katrin's aspirations to become a writer amidst her family’s everyday struggles. Key characters include Katrin's mother, Marta, who embodies resilience, and Uncle Chris, whose troubled life contrasts with family values.
The play's structure is episodic, showcasing a series of vignettes rather than a traditional plot, which allows for deep character exploration. It premiered on Broadway in 1944 and enjoyed critical acclaim and commercial success, running for over 700 performances. While it is not specifically aimed at younger audiences, its themes of family, growth, and the pursuit of dreams resonate with all ages. The portrayal of Katrin's journey and her interactions with her family highlight the universal experiences of love, sacrifice, and the quest for identity, making it a timeless piece of theater.
I Remember Mama by John Van Druten
First published: 1945
Subjects: Coming-of-age, emotions, family, and health and illness
Type of work: Drama
Type of plot: Domestic realism, historical fiction, and moral tale
Time of work: 1910
Recommended Ages: 13-18
Locale: San Francisco
Principal Characters:
Katrin , a young woman in her early twentiesMarta (Mama) , her motherLars (Papa) , her fatherDagmar , her little sisterChristine , her other sisterNels , her older brotherAunt Trina , her auntAunt Sigrid , her auntAunt Jenny , her auntUncle Chris , her uncle, Marta’s brother
Form and Content
Katrin, who wants to be a writer, remembers growing up in San Francisco in her Norwegian American family. In addition to her father, mother, brother, and sisters, there are a boarder, Mr. Hyde, who reads to the family each night from the classics; Katrin’s three aunts, who visit often; and Uncle Chris, who travels and has a reputation for drinking, for his temper, and for living with a woman to whom he is not married.
Katrin’s first memory is how the family would sit at the kitchen table every Saturday night and count the money in the “Little Bank,” always hoping that they would not have to go to “Big Bank” to get more. Mr. Hyde returns home and reads to the family. The next day, Uncle Chris arrives; he has recently taken Aunt Jenny’s boy, Arne, to the hospital for a knee operation, and when he finds that Katrin’s sister Dagmar is sick, he takes her to the hospital too. After Dagmar’s operation, the hospital will not let Katrin’s mother, Marta, in to see her for twenty-four hours, so she pretends that she is cleaning the floors in order to visit Dagmar. Mr. Hyde comes home to say that he must depart immediately, and he gives them a check for his past rent. Aunt Jenny comes in and says that Mr. Hyde has been cashing checks all over the neighborhood and that he does not even have an account. Because Mr. Hyde also left all of his books for the family, Marta insists that he owed them nothing.
As graduation and the school play approach, Katrin tells her friends that she is hoping for a dresser set as a gift. Her sister Christine tells her that instead she is getting her mother’s brooch, and Katrin is not happy. Later, as Katrin leaves for the performance, Christine tells her that her mother traded the brooch for the dresser set. Upset, Katrin performs badly in the play and afterward gets the brooch back, gives it to her mother, and apologizes. Her mother gives her the brooch and serves Katrin her first coffee to let her know that she is grown-up.
When Uncle Chris is dying, Marta goes with her sisters to see him. He explains that there is no will and no money. He had always wanted to make Nels a doctor, because he himself was always lame and his one desire was to help others to walk. When he is gone, Marta shares the notebook that shows that all the money went to helping children such as Arne to walk.
In the last scene, when Katrin gets another rejection in the mail, Marta decides to take Katrin’s stories to a famous writer visiting San Francisco, because the newspaper says that she is a food lover and Marta has recipes. They trade recipes, and the writer reads five of Katrin’s stories. The woman says that Katrin must write about what she knows, so Katrin writes the story of Mama and the hospital and sells it for five hundred dollars. It is revealed that there is no account at the bank, and Katrin reads her story.
Critical Context
I Remember Mama is based on a collection of stories by Kathryn Forbes called Mama’s Bank Account (1943). John van Druten’s play opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre on October 19, 1944. It was staged realistically, by the author, with three turntables allowing for changing of scenes. It received unanimous praise from critics and was so well attended that it ran until June 29, 1946, for a total of 713 performances. Several critics mentioned that the adaptation from stories made it episodic and unconventional as a play, that the focus was on the characters, and that there was no actual plot in the usual sense, but that the play nevertheless worked wonderfully and made an excellent and heartwarming evening of theater. They also mentioned that its popularity made it a financial success, which was especially exciting for van Druten because another of his plays, The Voice of the Turtle, was a success at the theater next door.
Although it was not written for young audiences, the play may be popular with them because of its focus on Katrin and her brother and sisters, and because the challenges that she faces as she grows up are so familiar to young people.