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<p style="margin-bottom:0in">“<font size="3"><span style="font-weight:normal">Motherhood
Out Loud” at Actors' Summit An Eye-Opening Look at Mothering</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt">By
Marjorie Preston</font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt">Brava!</font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in"><font color="#0000ff"><u><a href="http://www.marjoriepreston.com/brava"><font style="font-size:11pt">www.marjoriepreston.com/brava</font></a></u></font><font style="font-size:11pt">
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<p style="text-indent:0.5in;margin-bottom:0in">The regional
premiere of “Motherhood Out Loud” at Actors' Summit, conceived
and developed by Susan Rose and Joan Stein and written by a team of
successful and prolific writers, runs the gamut from laugh-out-loud
funny to moving and sad, while remaining for the most part a
relatable and heartfelt show. The first half is mostly funny and
relatable while the second half delves more into moving, and at times
sad, subject material before returning to a touching and funny finale
called “My Baby.”</p>
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<p style="text-indent:0.5in;margin-bottom:0in"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-weight:normal">Fourteen
writers – </span></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span style="font-weight:normal">Leslie
Ayvazian, Brooke Berman, 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</span></font></font></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-weight:normal">
– have collaborated to create a collection of nineteen scenes
depicting the struggles of mommies throughout their journeys. The
topics include surrogacy by gay parents, mothering a boy who
challenges gender identity norms, being the odd mom at the park and
many other slices of life from birth to great-grandmotherhood.</span></font></p>
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<p style="text-indent:0.5in;margin-bottom:0in">The cast includes
Shani Ferry, Paula Kline-Messner, Gabriel Riazi and Sarah Grewitt.
Ferry's sparkling, bubbly personality works best in her
new-mom-with-sick-husband role in “Next to the Crib.” Moms will
remember their worry over their newborn getting sick, questioning
whether they are up to the task, and fierce protectiveness while
trying to sleep on the carpet next to their baby's crib. She
humorously calls her baby “a sleep terrorist.”</p>
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<p style="text-indent:0.5in;margin-bottom:0in">Kline-Messner is
consistently good and shines in “Queen Esther” about a son who
likes to wear dresses and in “Stars and Stripes” about a mother's
anguish over not being able to protect her adult soldier son in a
dangerous world. She brings a believability and a matronly gravity
when inhabiting her roles. She delivers words of wisdom as the
great-grandmother in “Report on Motherhood”: “Children do not
like washing their hair; that is why they need less of it.”</p>
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<p style="text-indent:0.5in;margin-bottom:0in">Riazi misfires in
two of his roles as some of his lines came off too perky for the
material, but hits his stride in “If We're Using a Surrogate, How
Come I'm the One with Morning Sickness?” which surely will
enlighten others explaining the process of a gay couple seeking
surrogacy so they can be a family.</p>
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<p style="text-indent:0.5in;margin-bottom:0in">Grewitt is fun to
watch as the cool, snarky mom of a rowdy boy in “New in the
Motherhood,” the patient mom in “Baby Bird” and the
empty-nester we see in “Threesome” and “My Almost Family.”</p>
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<p style="text-indent:0.5in;margin-bottom:0in">Director Constance
Thackaberry brings this collection of different voices together
nearly seamlessly, though the scene entitled “Elizabeth” seems
oddly forced and out of place. Other than this speed bump, the rest
of the pieces flow well and evoke reactions such as knowing laughter
and nods of recognition as well as feelings of sadness at what time
has taken away. Set Designer Neil Thackaberry has tacked a
collection of childhood memorabilia to the back wall, giving a sort
of homey, “cluttered attic” feel. These reminders of childhood –
from the classic baby buggy to the wooden sled and teddy bear –
remain constant throughout the production. The show will inform the
unenlightened and bring recognition to the faces of others, but the
scenes are a reminder of the growth process that kids and their
parents go through.</p>
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<p style="margin-bottom:0in"> “Motherhood Out Loud” runs
Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m.
through April 21. For tickets, call (330) 374-7568 or visit
<font color="#0000ff"><u><a href="http://www.actorssummit.org/">www.actorssummit.org</a></u></font>.
The show contains adult language and subject matter.</p>
# # #<br clear="all"><br></div>This review can also be found at <a href="http://www.clevelandtheaterreviews.com">www.clevelandtheaterreviews.com</a>. <br><div><br><br>Best,<br>mp<br><br><font face="Arial" lang="0">Marjorie Preston, President<b><br>
Marjorie Preston PR<br>
</b><a href="http://www.marjoriepreston.com/" target="_blank">http://www.marjoriepreston.com/</a><br>
Specializing in small business, arts and non-profit clients<i><br>
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