Let’s face it, motherhood is hard. No matter what type of mom you are or how many kids you have, we all need to commiserate with our mom friends.
The original musical comedy “MotherFreakingHood!” showcases the hardest job in the world in the raw, with a humorous real-life lens. The show will premiere in Chicago this May (May 4-June 11) at the Venus Cabaret Theater, an intimate performance space within the Mercury Theater in Wrigleyville.
The 90-minute show follows three unlikely friends (Rachel, Angie and Marcia) as they take on the world from pregnancy tests to empty nests…one bottle at a time!
Sara Stotts, co-writer and co-producer from Wilmette, says the show takes a blunt look at the parenting journey, which is highly relatable to all moms.
“Moms today are balancing all that comes at us. Although some of us work and some of us stay at home, we all have things that pop up that we did not quite expect,” Stotts says. “So, whether you are a first-time mom or experienced mom, you don’t always know what to do. This show speaks to the power of friendship to get through motherhood.”
Stotts, a mom of two, says she and her co-writer Julie Dunlap (her best friend and college roommate) weaved in actual events from their lives into the storyline after commiserating with each other about the joys and pitfalls of motherhood.
From losing children in a grocery store to having a child enter a parent’s “special toy” into a robotics competition, Stotts says the audience will see themselves in parts of this down-to-earth show.
“It’s exciting to be a mother, but you don’t know what you are getting into,” she says. “No matter what it is, we can all say, ‘I’ve been there.’ That’s why motherhood is best shared with friends.”
“MotherFreakingHood!” is fresh off a sold-out, award-winning run in Kansas City where it received a regional Broadway World award for Best New Play or Musical. The songs are laugh out loud funny with titles including “Ballad of the Post Partum,” “Prayer for a Late Bloomer” and “Teenage Driver Hell Zone.”
Stotts says she hopes moms will come out of this show with a few laughs, validation that their job is hard, and a little more empathy for themselves.
“We all go through our own journey – it’s not the same for any mom,” says Stotts. “We often feel judged for not doing it right. We are all doing the best we can do, and that’s all that we can ask for. Let’s lift each other up and laugh about it together.”
Tickets for “MotherFreakingHood!” ($65 for single tickets to $260 for premium reserved tables of four) are available at the box office at 3745 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. Chicago Parent readers can save $5 on tickets with code CHICAGOPARENT.
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