As patrons enter the performance of Jordan Seavey’s “The Seven Year Disappear” at The Pershing Square Signature Center, they see Miriam (Cynthia Nixon) sitting across from her thirty-something son Naphtali (Taylor Trensch). The two are motionless and intently staring at one another in the style of Yugoslav performance artist Marina Abramović facing off with a MoMA patron in the famed museum’s central atrium.

Mother and Son faceoff in the small Bushwick apartment as well as outwith that apartment throughout Jordan Seavey’s intense psychological drama as they experience what seems to be an endless loop of the “adolescent” separation and individuation process. That drama unfolds in the play’s prologue on April 4, 2009, seven months prior to Miriam’s seven-year disappearance and just after Naphtali announces he has brokered a return engagement for his mother at MoMA, and in the scenes that follow.

In Miriam’s prolonged absence, she appears on stage portraying seven characters that provide needed exposition and deepens the understanding of Miriam’s relationship with Naphtali and how her absence has affected him. These characters include: a duplicitous Brayden with whom Naphtali has a tumultuous date; the seventeen-year-old cosmetologist Kaitlyn who paints Naphtali’s nails “Millenium Pink” and with whom he discusses their childhood and sexual status and who follows the “Missing Miriam” thread on Reddit; and Naphtali’s friend Aviva through whom his serious bout with drug addiction is revealed.

Miriam also portrays Michael, Nicole, and Wolfgang who has been Naphtali’s lover, friend, and nemesis. This is a particularly significant appearance since Wolfgang plays prominently in the lives of both Mother and Son.

These important scenes also chronicle at least three deaths: Naphtali’s death to his past; Mirian’s death to her past; and the death of the old relationship between Naphtali and Miriam, between Son and Mother. Just as Naphtali is about to emerge from the final stage of bereavement, Miriam reappears in his life with a new performance scheduled for MoMa and insists her son join her in the performance. Without a multitude of spoiler alerts, it is this concluding scene that allows Miriam to be transparent about Naphtali’s childhood, his father, and why that first visit to the zoo as a child was so important.

What a gift to see Cynthia Nixon back on stage. Nixon and Taylor Trensch together are a powerhouse: their performances are authentic, believable, and their unique (yet relatable) conflicts drive the play’s intricate plot forward with grace.

Derek McLane’s scenic design allows for fast paced changes in settings and multi-depth playing areas. Qween Jean’s stark costumes keep focus on the action of the play. Lighting Design by Jeff Croiter, Sound Design by Rob Milburn & Michael Bodeen and Projection Design by John Narun also focus appropriate attention on the action on the stage.

In his usual fashion, Scott Elliot directs with sensitivity and gives the actors the space they need to deliver an epic psycho-social drama. This needs to be seen soon before it disappears from the intimate Griffin stage. This critic hopes “The Seven Year Disappear” has a life beyond its current run.