By Elise Jones, Mommybites blog editor
Every once in a while it is nice to get out and do something you use to previously enjoy before becoming a parent, like going to see a musical comedy about how absurd and fleeting parenting is. I was invited to sit in on working rehearsal to watch this original musical that is made up of around 30 different vignettes- some songs and some skits- that focus on the joys, trials, and tribulations of parenting.
The show’s opening song begins with a “journey that starts with a sperm and an egg; then all hell breaks loose.” The beginning stages of parenting were nailed in songs and skits about the delivery room, sending out embarrassing photos, dealing with in-laws, and who gets up in the middle of the night. Lines like “You think that was hard (delivering the baby), now the hard part starts!” and “I’ll give you a $50 if you get the baby (crying in the middle of the night). Make it $100.” “OK, deal.” had me nodding and laughing at the same time. Early on, the audience is introduced to a song that reoccurs throughout the show and examines a parent’s self-doubt but reassures them if children can manage to do age-appropriate activities “You probably didn’t fuck up!”
The show continues to follow parents as they move through the different ages of their children. There are the awkward questions/conversations parents have- how did the baby get in mommy’s tummy, catching parents in “the act”, did you and dad have sex before you got married, etc.- that pop up during the show and I found them to be quite comical and the actor’s reactions and the script to be spot-on. From kindergarden admission interviews, dads trying to make dad friends at a playground, dropping off your child at their first day of school, and parent-teacher conferences (a FANTASTIC rap song performed by the two male actors that still has me in stitches), you would be hard pressed to find any school-age stage that isn’t turned into a laughing matter at the hands of the four-fine actors who take turns rotating from parent to child to grandparents to teenager with fluidity and ease that makes the show extremely enjoyable.
The show ends with a message that made me tear up a bit and sums up parenting: “Remember it all because time likes to fly” and “return your mother’s call.”
Where: Westside Theatre Upstairs, 407 West 43rd Street (Between 9th and 10th Avenues), NYC
Tickets: $90- $125. To purchase, visit Telecharge.com or http://www.ratedpthemusical.com/tickets.php.
BONUS- NEW: Affordable childcare available during select performances with Playtime! Visit www.PlaytimeNYC.org for more info.