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Health & Fitness

Lifetime Out Loud: Review of 'Motherhood Out Loud' at Southampton Cultural Center

See Center Stage's "Motherhood Out Loud" in Southampton Village.

Any mothers, daughters, sons, or fathers who have enjoyed an afternoon of Lifetime Network programing need to grab their tissue boxes and head straight over to the Southampton Cultural Center for Michael Disher’s Center Stage production of “Motherhood Out Loud.“

I had no idea to expect from this show, I had never heard of the play and the only thing I compared it to in my mind was that one woman play, “Why Don’t You Like Me?” from the "Friends" episode, “The One With The Soap Opera Party.” For those of you who are "Friends"-philes such as myself, you know that this play is a ranting, raving, obnoxious diatribe about the hardships of woman hood from tampons to dateless proms. In the words of Chandler, “Could I have BEEN more wrong?”

Told in a series of vignettes throughout five chapters, this play is about parenthood from birth, rearing, letting go, and eventually becoming the parented.

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Chapter One: Fast Births is true to its title. These fast paced and upbeat scenes talk about birth and parenting small children. My favorite scene from this chapter is “New To Motherhood” by Lisa Loomer. This scene is led by Valerie J. DiLorenzo, new to Center Stage and what a welcome addition with her vibrancy and brilliant comedic timing. She acts out what could easily be an afternoon at Agawam Park. DiLorenzo plays what one might describe as a “full time” East Ender, she takes her kids to the park herself and while she struggles with juggling work and parenting, she makes an effort to be the one spending time with her son. The two women, played by Kasia Klimiuk and Barbara Jo Howard, who join her on the park bench were hysterical representations of what many might describe as, “summer people.” In this scene they are at the park as a rare occurrence, typically their nanny has the children, and their kids would never dare touch a non-organic-whole-foods-fair-trade-sugary-toxic-disgusting sippy cup of juice! They shrink away from Valerie and her son, grab their Michelle Obama Barbies and flee back to their only-lived-in-three-months-a-year homes.

 Chapter Two: First Day standouts included “Queen Esther” by Michele Lowe and “Baby Bird” by Theresa Rebeck. Queen Esther, a monologue performed convincingly by Susan Wojcik, told the story of a son who preferred fine lace to lacing up sneakers, silk to swinging a bat, and heels to home runs. Wojcik aced this panicked tale of how a mother shows support to a child who doesn’t fit into the main stream, but the moral of this story was that the only approval her son needed, was that of his mother. **Splash Zone Alert** This one will make you cry.

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My favorite from Chapter Three: Sex Talk went along with Queen Esther’s theme of parental support. “Michael’s Date” by Claire LaZebnick featured the white knuckled Howard as she gripped the steering wheel while driving her autistic son to his first date. She captured that unique anxious side of mothers as they try to step back and let their children make their own choices, and inevitably their own mistakes.

Chapter Four: Stepping Out was the first chapter in the second act and fell flat for me in comparison to the triumphs of act one. I attribute this in part to some technical difficulties with music levels and some overpowering sound effects. But from the moment Dan Becker took the stage for his monologue in the final chapter of the saga, Chapter Five: Coming Home, the whole production came together for a beautiful finish. “Elizabeth” by David Cole was a story of motherhood from the perspective of the son. He is back home as an adult and he finds his relationship with his mother is backwards. He is taking care of her, telling her to do her schoolwork, and making sure she eats proper meals. Another splash zone alert, if you can’t read the book “Love You Forever” by Robert Munsch without welling up then I would suggest waterproof mascara!

Klimiuk plays a hilarious twelve year old interviewing her great-grandmother played by Wojcik in “Report on Motherhood” by Beth Henley. Klimiuk wrinkles her nose at some of the hysterical answers her mother’s mother’s mother shares with her. They had fabulous chemistry on stage together and I was impressed that they both took on the challenge of utilizing several accents for their various roles throughout the show.

DiLorenzo was the perfect finish to this production with her final monologue, “My Baby” by Annie Weisman. She sat, kept her body silent and let the waver of her voice, the lift of her eyebrow, and the use of her big smile tell the story of her journey from pregnancy to parenting. Several monologues had a similar timeline, but she really nailed an authentic and heartfelt transition into motherhood. I thought her character could have utilized the vivid description of the birthing positions to add some physical comedy into the scene, but it was wonderfully touching all the same.

Having worked with director Michael Disher I also paid close attention to the set. I know that nothing he puts on stage is by accident and so I imagined it as a big playpen. The asymmetrical set could reflect how every mother’s story is different but with a similar thread running through, the large and simple shapes looked like building blocks and children’s toys, and their size and the fencing around the back made the actors on stage look like they were in a crib. But that is the cycle of this show, being born to giving birth, raising a child who then cares for you in your final days, and not knowing how much your mother loves you until you feel your own baby in your arms for the first time.

Have I convinced you yet? Go see this show! “Motherhood Out Loud” at the Southampton Cultural Center on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m., through March 24. Tickets are $22. Call 631-287-4377 Visit: scc-arts.org. And after thinking about it, you should just skip the mascara altogether. And do bring tissues!

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