Parenthood is one of those major life moments in which one runs the full gamut of emotions: it can a horrendously stressful, anxiety-inducing ordeal or a beautiful, life-affirming experience. Very often it’s both.
But it’s not just your emotions that are put through the wringer: it is a life-changing experience from whichever angle you choose to approach it.
This makes show like Dear Breeder, which wittily explores the social and emotional life of the new suburban mother now on at the Seabrooke’s Theatre relatable on so many levels.
In this deceptively whimsical musical comedy, performers and moms Kasia Vosloo and Karen Logan, deliver a fresh and poignant take on the subject of motherhood under the expert direction of Iain EWOK Robinson.
Vosloo, quirky and charming, strums sweetly on her guitar, singing hilariously catchy tunes about everything from baby-making to homophobic porcupines.
Logan, deft and lively, gives life to her melodic musings, lampooning a range of uncanny mommy characters embroiled in the thankless task of putting together a preschool nativity play for their kids.
All of this is presented with the aid of brightly coloured children’s toys and furniture used by the performers in clever ways throughout the show.
Vosloo and Logan share great chemistry, giving each other room to breathe on the intimate stage, with each performer’s strengths (Vosloo’s irreverent charisma, Logan’s expressive prowess) skilfully deployed throughout.
The satirical nature of the show means there’s a compelling layer of social critique as the show smartly skewers the suburban bubble while also sensitively foregrounding its humanity.
Ultimately, this is a show about mothers, and what it means to be a mother, not only in the wider societal context, but in the personal lives women, and the tension that arises from the push and pull of these two spheres.
This award-winning musical comedy is a pitch-perfect blend of funny and thoughtful, and is a must-see for everyone who is a parent, has a parent or wants to be a parent.
Tickets for this charity show on Thursday 28 August at 7pm are R100 each and proceeds will go to the Robin Hood Foundation’s ‘Love the Babies’ project.
They are also encouraging the audience to bring a box of crayons for the Uminathi Crèche in rural Mariannhill.
Dear Breeder will also be showing on Friday 29 August at 7.30pm, Saturday 30 August at 2.30pm and 7.30pm and then Sunday 31 August at 2.30pm.
To book your ticket, please contact Karen Logan on 074 1021 371 or karen@amehlovideo.com. Your booking will be confirmed on receipt on payment.