Motherhood isn't easy, but some women sure do make it look easy. That's the premise behind Megan Gogerty's Save Me, Dolly Parton, an hour-long comedic rant about the challenges of being a new parent.
Let me just start by saying, I'm not a parent. So while all the mothers in the room were probably nodding there heads in agreement and empathy with the main character's struggles, I was being shown a whole new world. Yet at the same time, I could relate to Megan as a writer. Her life is changing, and there is never enough time to write. What writer doesn't understand how that feels?
Megan's main character is relatable on several levels. Not just as a Mom and as a writer, but also as a person who is striving to get their shit together. There are times in life when we all feel inadequate to the task at hand. It is then we wonder, how does so-and-so always pull it off? Our role model in these situations could be one of our friends. You know, the one who always seems to have the situation under control, no matter what that situation is. Sometimes our role model is a celebrity, like Dolly Parton. And sometimes we are looking at photos of the royal family, wondering how the hell Kate Middleton looks so good leaving the hospital after just giving birth.
Gogerty's bold revelations about motherhood left me in awe. You don't come by this level of honesty in writing very often. The open, honest writing combined with the bare-bones, one-woman show execution, was absolutely captivating.
Theresa Smith-Levin's performance perfectly matched the intimacy of the writing. Seeing Smith-Levin stand out on the stage alone reminds us of how little support new mothers sometimes get. Then she sits down on a chair before us and sings. I am so close to the stage, I can see the tiny movements of her throat as she executes a beautifully subtle vibrato. I can hear the strength of feeling in her voice, and it fills my heart as it fills the room.
Read Ray Roa's Q&A with the star actress, Theresa Smith-Levin here.
This article appears in May 3-10, 2018.