Darcy MacConnell and Alene Blomquist

Bring plenty of tissues — "'Night, Mother" is that kind of play.

The powerful one-act, two-character drama, which opened Thursday night at Riverside Arts Center in Ypsilanti courtesy of P.T.D. Productions, focuses on depressed, middle-aged Jessie (Darcy MacConnell), who matter-of-factly announces to her mother (Alene Blomquist) that she plans to commit suicide that very night.

As the 90-minute show begins, Jessie asks her mother for her late father’s revolver as she takes care of household chores so mom can have an easier time of it after the trigger is pulled (such consideration!). As the story unfolds, Jessie reveals the reasons behind her horrific decision while her mother tries desperately to get Jessie to change her mind. Clearly, Jessie is as determined to leave this world as her mother is to have her stay.

This is a difficult show to watch, but the two actors deliver such knockout performances it's hard to take your eyes off them.

At first, her mother doesn't take Jessie seriously ("Let's rearrange the furniture," she suggests, as if that would help), but as she slowly realizes her daughter isn't joking, she becomes increasingly panicked ("You might as well kill me. It's the same thing. … How can I live here without you?"). Every emotion is so etched upon Blomquist's face it becomes heart-rending to watch. Similarly, MacConnell projects a world-weary resignation. Divorced, stuck in a deadly dull life and awaiting her next epileptic seizure, she sees only more of the same in her future and wants no part of it. The two are amazingly believable as mother and daughter, and their chemistry is evident.

Expertly directed by Amanda Grazioli, Marsha Norman’s 1983 drama, which won a Pulitzer Prize, involves the kind of conversation few of us will ever have, and offers the opportunity for the audience to reflect on their own lives and relationships.

This is serious stuff, full of pain and honesty. I was on the edge of my seat, and angry at Jessie for not considering the devastation her final act would cause her mother. Yes, Jessie has future shopping lists made, and tells her mother exactly who to call and what to say after the trigger has been pulled, but she obviously has given no consideration to her mother's emotional reaction. Suicide has been called the ultimate act of selfishness, and nowhere is that more apparent than in '"Night, Mother."

Grim material to be sure, and a searing look inside the soul, but what terrific performances by the two actors involved.

"'Night, Mother" continues at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday through October 2, with one matinee performance at 2 p.m. Sunday. Details at 734-483-7345 or the P.T.D. Productions website.

Roger LeLievre is a freelance writer who covers entertainment for AnnArbor.com.