Motherhood : The Musical

By Angie Bedford

Motherhood : The Musical

The first mistake I made when heading to the Athenaeum Theatre for the Australian Premiere of Motherhood the Musical was assuming that I wouldn’t "get it" because I’m not a mother.

How wrong I was.

Just as the marketing out the front suggests, the show really is for anyone who has, knows or is a mother. Translation = everyone. The second mistake I made was not taking my mother, but I’ll make sure to buy her a ticket as soon as possible!

Motherhood the Musical really resonated with the audience, with a plot brimming with just about every old wives’ tale and anecdote in the book.

Although originally conceived and performed in America, this show has easily translated to the Australian stage, thanks to its intrinsic themes of motherhood.

Written by Nashville singer/songwriter Sue Fabisch, Motherhood the Musical is framed around the first pregnancy of young Amy (Rebecca Moore), who is treated to a baby shower by her friends, Barb (Amelia Christo), Brooke (Ziggy Clements) and Trisha (Jacqueline Hoy), who, with good intentions, share their experiences – good and bad – of motherhood.

These four central characters have chemistry to boot, and represent four different kinds of mothers: new mother, divorced/single mother, working mother and overworked stay at home mother.

Fabisch leaves no issue untouched, from the glories of bargain shopping in ‘Costco Queen’, the changing mammaries in ‘How Great They Were’ to the more delicate issue of post childbirth sex ‘Do It’ as well as the positively awkward, but hilarious, ‘I Leak’.

Whilst these songs don’t pretend to be the next big musical theatre standards; there are some homages to pop ballads and musicals, with glimpses of ‘The Way We Were’ and ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’.

We were treated to a variety of musical flavours, including R & B, Gospel and Pop. The dialogue is minimal and efficient, delivering humour wherever possible. One of my favourites came from the mother of Granny-to-be: “What business is a Granny in? Yours!”.

The four women are onstage for the majority of the show, and boy do they work hard! When their character isn’t in the spotlight, they join in as the chorus, showcasing some gorgeous harmonies.

Director Terence O’Connell has assembled a great cast. Rebecca Moore is a joy as mum-to-be Amy, giving a glowing performance with her beautiful voice. She showed her versatility by also playing Amy’s mother. It is surprising to see this is Moore’s Australian musical theatre debut. Moore is definitely a name to remember!

Amelia Christo gave a great performance as Barb, the stressed out mother of five. ‘Mommy, Mommy, Mommy’ was just hilarious, as Christo demonstrated a full spectrum of childhood whining. She sang the more reflective ‘I’m Danny’s Mum’ beautifully.

Ziggy Clements was wonderful as Brooke, the time poor lawyer who really doesn’t have time to ‘Do It’. It was great to see Clements switch from Brooke’s organised self to really sharing her inner desires as a ‘Costco Queen’, one of the best numbers of the night.

Jacqueline Hoy as Trisha delivered uninhibited renditions of ‘Minivan’ and ‘Baby Weight Blues’. She too proved to be a versatile performer, striking a cord with ‘Every Other Weekend’.

O’Connell’s direction utilised the small space well. Dialogue was punchy and never lagged. Sue-Ellen Shook’s choreography was at its amusing best when combined with props, such as the fabulous trolleys in ‘Costco Queen’. Musical Director Vicky Jacobs ensured that every song was pitch perfect, with particularly strong ensemble vocals.

The overall design was simple and cohesive. The colourful stage set (by Shaun Gurton) looked like Play School set, which really supported the overall performance style. Colourful chairs and boxes were used skilfully to represent numerous situations. Jason Bovaird’s rainbow palette of lights complemented the songs, guiding us through both the silly and sentimental moods throughout the night. Adrienne Chisholm’s costumes were suitably stereotypical: Trisha’s Adidas pants and bum bags were a personal favourite. Poor Barb looked like she dressed herself in the dark – perfect!

Motherhood the Musical serves as a deserving celebration of the complex career of motherhood. I hope that it encourages stressed out mums to break into song! It is delightful to see musical theatre at its most accessible, and at a short but sweet running time of 90 minutes without interval, everyone can find time to see this show.

Get a babysitter, book a ticket and catch this show before it’s too late!

Motherhood : The Musical is now playing at the Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne until February 27 before an extensive tour of capital and regional cities across Australia.

Tour schedule available at www.motherhoodthemusical.com.au  Tickets: www.ticketmaster.com.au