'night, Mother

     At first glance, I think it's very easy to think that Jessie is the central character in 'night, Mother, and in turn explains the hypothetical director's MDQ. However, if you were to change angles and look at the play from Mama's point of view (or rather, look at Mama as the central character) I think a better major dramatic question would be, "Will Mama stop Jessie from killing herself?"
     For the majority of the play, Jessie really shies away from answering Mama as to why she wants to kill herself. To try and get an answer out of her, Mama employs a number of techniques. First she tries to remind Jessie of the "good times" by offering to make hot cocoa and caramel apples. Then Mama moves on to threatening to call for help, and repeatedly goes back to the phone, with diminishing efforts each time. Finally, instead of beating around the bush, Mama finally just asks why.
     "It has to be something I did," Mama says. And later, "...and I was here all the time and I never even saw it. And then you gave me this chance to make it better, convince you to stay alive, and I couldn't do it."
     Mama spends the length of the play trying to make herself comprehend why her daughter would want to kill herself. The ways she tries to figure this out moves the play forward, and as she progresses, he attempts get more and more desperate, ultimately physically standing in the way of Jessie.
     "I can't stop you because you're already gone!" Mama says at one point. Mama's struggle, in my opinion, is a much more interesting thread to follow than the answer to "Will Jessie kill herself?" Jessie has grounded herself into her decision, and it seems inevitable, almost more of a when/how/why will Jessie kill herself instead. I think focusing on if Mama can stop her is a much more interesting major dramatic question.