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You Mutha! A One-Mother Show

nytheatre.com review by Geeta Citygirl
August 15, 2005

Jennie Fahn’s You Mutha! is a bubbly and spirited experience for all adults—we can all relate to either being a mother, wanting to be a mother and/or, as all of us must admit, having a mother,. Fahn is a petite 4’10” powerhouse talent who rocks the living room atmosphere with this homage to moms in this fantastic one-mother show.The day I attended her performance, it was an oppressively hot and humid New York City Saturday (with temperatures so high the city felt like a steam room). I arrived too early so waited patiently outside with a New Jersey couple. Jonathan, Jennie’s high school classmate and now a father, was attending the show with his wife, Michelle. We moved from outside to sitting on the steps leading up to the theatre. Suddenly a group of women entered speaking loud and excited to be seeing Jennie—they reminded me of Long Island maternal figures. Moments later, as if we were at a large reunion of sorts, we were all talking to each other. I enjoyed listening and watching as pieces of the puzzle were getting solved. When asked his name, Jonathan was immediately recognized when one mother hollered up the stairs that she was on the phone with his mother last night! One by one I heard stories of the various connections—and it was mostly the mothers who were recalling people and places and incidents. Then the house door opened. And we all (now friends) entered as a family.We were welcomed with a great marketing tool and an even more useful gift in these hot temperatures—each of us got a turquoise heart-shaped paper fan with a wooden handle, designed with the show information. As we fanned ourselves, the show began. With a list of changing quotes projected on the back wall, dance, songs (the You Mutha! jingle will stay with you days after you leave the show), and a Jennie Fahn puppet, this is a piece of pure delight.Fahn takes us on a journey of mothers everywhere—including a glimpse at her mother! We get to think about why Bambi and Nemo both lose their mothers. She asks us to think about why it is always the MOTHERS (often in children’s stories) that get killed off. Then proceeds to expose us to a “Mommy and Me” mother, a Los Angeles mother, and my favorite part of the entire show, a mother who illustrates how her Day Runner gets filled with activities and commitments. This demonstration will show you the incredible energy of both mothers and Fahn. Special mention to Coco for the wonderful puppet design—that alone with get you giggling. Larry Sousa’s smart direction and use of minimal props and set really help to highlight Fahn's strong presence. Kudos to Daryl Archibald and Christopher Lavely, the talents whose music helps the 60-minute show move effortlessly.On a personal note, the show really made me think about what it would be like to be a mother. I thought of my mother—Asha—whose name in Hindi translates to “hope.” And I couldn’t help but remember it really is the mothers that are the hope of this world. We realize that (as some say) “every day really should be Mother’s Day."