Motherhood Out Loud made its Australian premiere last Wednesday at the Craft Bar, with the intention of showing that “it takes two to tango,” not just in bed, but also in life.
With an opening scene of screams and agony-filled grunts as the actors simulate childbirth, the audience is immediately drawn into the world of newborns, modern families and growing older. The point of the play is to show the complexities of raising a child. While many of the references are American, there is a universal sort of language: that family is family, regardless of the situation that it is grown in.
Each act is a well-contained story and many deal with complex family situations. The actors are all skilled, having performed in multiple venues, and convincingly portray mothers and children. The children are not always so ideal, the mothers are not always so perfect, and each story-line is cripplingly accurate.
One discusses having a transgender son: Brooke Davidson takes on the role of a New York-Jewish mother who is completely unsure about how to address the fact that her son loves dresses more than toy trucks. Another is about a new mother, learning how to “squeeze, hold, and release” with her child. She has to squeeze her baby, hold onto her child, and eventually release that child into the world.
Andrew Mead performs a fabulous piece about a father at Christmas time, who has to explain that his daughter doesn't have a mother. Instead, she has a “Daddy” and a “Poppa” that love her very much.
Another skit involves a simple concept: how do you address having an adopted child? As the act progresses, Bridie Connell shows that you address it with aplomb, growing irritability, and the understanding that no matter what you do, you will always have to prove that you love your children, adopted and biological.
Finally, Jennie Jacobs plays the role of an aged mother. Instead of the traditional concept of motherhood, motherhood is now another concept, where the child she has reared for so long must now look after her. The mother who has sheltered, cared for and loved her child, must now be resigned to her future.
Motherhood Out Loud will run March 19 until April 6. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go ring my mum. There's about 18 years of my life I need to apologize for.
