[NEohioPAL] "The Momologues" at Jackson Community Theater-Ohio Honest and Hilarious

[Marjorie Preston]

http://www.marjoriepreston.com/2013/05/the-momologues-at-jackson-community-theater-ohio-honest-and-hilarious/

“The Momologues” at Jackson Community Theater-Ohio Honest and Hilarious

By Marjorie Preston

Brava!

*www.marjoriepreston.com/brava*


 Jackson Community Theater Ohio's (JCT-Ohio) production of “The Momologues”
by Stefanie Cloutier, Sheila Eppolito and Lisa Rafferty is a homespun, yet
sharp production of a baudy, hilarious show aimed at moms and others
looking to laugh at the challenges of motherhood.


 The four actresses, Bridget Bazzinotti, Denise Dawson Geissinger, Chanda
Marie Schmidt and Tawnya Schlabach Sutton, three of whom had never been on
stage before, turn in a true-to-life performance. The show rarely feels
like complaining, and though it's not a traditional play with a plot line,
it is a series of humorous monologues about mommy-hood book-ended with some
equally funny group discussions.


 Topics covered include the aches and pains of pregnancy and labor. The
ladies ask: why take a pregnant woman's blood pressure right after she gets
off the scale? They discuss pregnant “charity sex” and the “access
challenges” of pregnant sex. A late pregnancy baby is like “a guest that
has stayed too long.”


 Schmidt gets a laugh with her comeback to the doctor who tells her not to
push: “Stop pushing? Fuck you!” Sutton suggests perhaps the doctor ask
questions during labor of someone other than the pregnant woman – “Ask my
husband – does he look like he's busy over there?”


 Bazzinotti delivers her line with aplomb about her emergency C-section:
“She's got the perfect C-section head. It's not like those others...” and
is immediately drowned out by peals of laughter from those familiar with
natural birth and squeezed babies' heads. A running gag has her repeatedly
calling her mom with news, like her hemorrhoids or the sweet smell of a
baby's head. Finally she says of her baby daughter, “I think I finally
forgave her, so we're starting over now.”


 The women commiserate over loss of privacy, the chance to eat lunch alone,
and reading adult level literature. They discuss pregnancy tests, sick
kids, and the cost of a date night for parents. Schmidt steals a scene with
Geissinger by sliding – in slapstick fashion – out of a high stool while
having coffee with her friend.


 Director Holly Ellen Roby has put in the work to make scene transitions
smooth, and the actresses genuinely seem comfortable and warm around each
other. The cast and crew, acting as set designers, have pulled together a
simple, no-frills set with wing chairs, pillows, childrens' books and toys,
plus a small coffee shop set to the side.


 “The Momologues” finished its run on May 12, Mother's Day. The production
contained adult language and situations. For info on JCT-Ohio's offerings,
visit www.JCT-Ohio.com.


Best,
mp

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