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In The Motherhood
Birmingham Rep Door
**** MIDLANDS based new writer Hayley Pepler
play is a comedic and touching story about lives of three women united
by one occupation; being a mother. Taking place outside of
the school gates, Pepler’s story celebrates mothers everywhere and gives
them the well-needed pat on the back that they deserve. In the charming three hander performed by Lauren
Crace, Sarah Horner and Louise Mardenborough, we are taught that every
mother is unique. The short and sweet production gives a funny and
sincere take on what it is like to be a mother. The story involves a selective group of mothers
in the village’s primary school’s PTA where mothers must prove
themselves by going through a strict interview process in order to
become a member. The PTA only takes on ‘certain kinds’ of mothers
and it is up to Jacs to understand what it takes to become a member. In the story, Pepler shared the essence of the
every-day routine that goes into motherhood through the characters of
three completely different women, with children in the same class. Nita and Bonnie are no strangers to the daily
school run and know the school inside out. They are the founders of the
highly established PTA and just as it was back at school, they are the
popular girls of the playground. Jacs is new to the village and her first child is
just
The production gives an intimate feel, reflecting
all the mothers the characters represent. Only a small set is needed in
this production as the ladies carry the story with natural talent and an
empathy for motherhood. The flexible setting sees a square shape of
school benches, taking us back to school assembly halls, with each
actor’s delivery of Pepler’s clever script taking us to the school
playground, inside the school theatre, and into the lives of mums
everywhere. Props set the scenes for the school fete and the
Christmas production while charming nursery rhymes were played on the
piano to acts as transitions between scenes. Each small detail gives a charismatic depth to
the funny and endearing womanly humour that this play constantly
provides. As for the mothers themselves, the actors took to
their roles with majestic ease, reiterated to all mothers in the
audience that they are doing a great job with Pepler’s script showing
that even the small mistakes are the greatest achievements when it comes
to being a mother. Sarah Horner takes on fashionable and seemingly
flawless Bonnie, the ringleader of the PTA posse and the epitome of what
can be described as a ‘yummy mummy’. Sarah brings a comical authority and makes it
difficult for the audience to stop smiling at her quirky modern traits
and desire to be ‘cool’. The relationship between Bonnie and Jacs, played
by Lauren Crace, is a compelling journey with Jacs, new to the school,
not knowing how the politics of the playground works - and Bonnie has no
problem in teaching her. Tensions are high at the start of the play and
the clashes between both characters are presented beautifully in
Horner’s and Crace’s delivery. By the end of the performance, the
audience realise that both mothers are in fact on the same page. Louise Mardenborough plays downtrodden mom Nita,
who in her hilarious account of the mother with five children, ignites
an energy and fuels the production with fantastic charisma. In a shining moment, she enters dressed in a
Santa suit and moans about the duties of the school Christmas Fete.
Through slick one-liners, Mardenborough is the tired voice that shows
the tiresome routine that all mothers go through on a daily basis. The
character uses humour to hide the challenges that women must face, which
makes for a remarkable performance. It is stated in the cast list that all actors
have children of their own and with the flawless direction of Tom
Saunders, it is a show for everyone. With the help of the cast, Pepler
celebrates motherhood and lets moms of all backgrounds know that they
have the most challenging job there is, and we are thankful for it. To
04-11-15 Elizabeth Halpin
03-11-15
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starting
school. Nita and Bonnie welcome Jacs in their own unique way, but Jacs
has a long journey before she is classified as being ‘part of the
crowd’.