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| Hazel Bartlett in Motherhood Out Loud. Photo – Eve Theatre Company. |
Motherhood Out Loud
Conceived by Susan R. Rose and Joan Stein
Written by Leslie Ayvazian, David Cale, Jessica Goldberg,
Beth Henley,
Lameece Issaq, Claire LaZebnik, Lisa Loomer, Michele Lowe,
Marco Pennette, Theresa Rebeck, Luanne Rice, Annie Weisman,
and Cheryl L. West
Directed by Nancy Hoover
Reviewed by Craig Nolan Highley
Entire contents copyright © 2013 by Craig Nolan Highley. All
rights reserved.
If there is one universal truth, it is that everyone has had
a mother.
Whether or not we get the chance to be parents ourselves,
odds are we were raised by that sainted woman who bore us (or adopted us), and
she, more than any other person in our lives, shaped the person we turned out
to be.
It’s with that idea in mind that the Eve Theatre Company
presents Motherhood Out Loud, a truly
involving and inspiring evening of vignettes that celebrate mothers in all
shapes, sizes, creeds, and even genders. As with any show of this type, the
quality varies from piece to piece; but the overall takeaway is one of being
profoundly moved. At least it was with this reviewer!
Mostly a series of monologues (with a couple of
multi-character scenes sprinkled throughout), the show moves fluidly from
stories of labor and delivery, through toddlers and young childhood, to
teenagers and adult children, and even to the point when the child becomes the
caregiver late in the mother’s life. It really is quite difficult to sit
through the proceedings without shedding a few tears along the way.
Simply staged on a mostly bare stage in front of an artful
display of what I can only describe as “mom paraphernalia,” director Nancy
Hoover has coaxed some truly incredible performances from her rather large cast
(the show was conceived for a total of four actors, but this cast boasts twelve
extremely talented performers). If the performance ever falters, it is when the
script lets the cast down, and not due to any failure from the performers or
their director.
Among the twenty short stories depicted, the one that stands
out head and shoulders above the rest is Jessica Goldberg’s Stars and Stripes. As given life in a
stunning performance by Hazel Bartlett, this story of a proud mother whose son
has gone off to fight the war in Afghanistan simultaneously goes right where
you expect it to, and then doesn’t. It’s a powerful piece of theater delivered
by an amazing actress, and arguably the most emotionally resonant of the
evening.
Also memorable (and way on the other end of the emotional
spectrum) is Diane Stretz-Thurmond’s take as a Muslim mother with a pack of
brats in Lameece Issaq’s Nooha’s List;
and Beth Henley’s Report on Motherhood,
in which an elderly matriarch (Mary Ann Johnson) explains to her great-granddaughter
(Jessica Godsey) how much she hated being a mother.
Gender identity also gets some nice moments, with Michele
Lowe’s feel-good piece Queen Esther
detailing a mother’s decision to allow her male child to dress as the Biblical
queen for Purim; and in Marco Pennette’s If
We’re Using a Surrogate, How Come I’m the One With Morning Sickness, an
endearing but cliché-laden and catty tale of a gay couple trying to procreate.
The latter strongly benefits from Miguel Walker’s heartfelt performance, even
if his material sometimes strays into SNL-spoof
territory.
The rest of the cast also holds their own, with some other
nice moments provided by Su Crocker, Glenna Godsey, Jon Huffman, and Susan
McNeese Lynch worthy of mention. This is a show worthy of its title, and
possibly something you should consider taking your own Mom to see (provided she
isn’t easily offended by the occasionally very frank and blue vocabulary).
Featuring Hazel Bartlett, Su Crocker, Anna Francis, Glenna
Godsey, Jessica Godsey, Charlotte Hammett Hubrich, Jon Huffman, Mary Ann
Johnson, Susan McNeese Lynch, Julie Streble, Diane Stretz-Thurmond, and Miguel
Walker
Motherhood Out Loud
June 7-23, 2013
Eve Theatre Company
at The Victor Jory Theatre
Actors Theatre of Louisville
315 Main Street
Louisville, KY 40202
502-584-1205
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