Review by Shelby Coleman
Hey Mr. Arnstein, we’re in “Grannyland!”
This weekend only, Ghostlight Stage Company is presenting Motherhood, The Musical at Essex Studios. This production is full of motherhood humor that will connect with moms and family members alike.
The Story
Motherhood, The Musical, performed in the intimate setting of Essex Studio’s black box theater, is a love letter to every woman who has ever wrestled with diaper bags, PTA meetings, and the impossible ideal of “having it all.”
This hilarious show follows four women navigating the chaos of modern parenting. Expectant mother to be, Amy (Mary Patton) is surprised by her three neighborhood mom friends with an impromptu baby shower. Moms Barb (Emily Shimskey), Brooke (Marva Williams- Parker) and Tina (Maddie Vaugn) share what the “mom life” truly entails with stories of sleepless nights, Costco shopping, and finding yourself beyond being a mom. Through energetic songs and sharply observed humor, audiences are shown the ups and downs and everything in between that life becomes once you have a baby. The musical itself threads together cleverly parodied show tunes, giving a nod to well-known classics like Annie Get Your Gun, Chicago, Funny Girl, Mamma Mia! and Hairspray. Each number pays tribute to musical theater while celebrating the absurdity and beauty of maternal life.
Solid Ensemble
Mary Patton portrays expectant mother, Amy, who carries the emotional through-line of the evening. Her range in voice is astounding as she switches between soft earnest numbers like Welcome to Motherhood and brassy bold performances like Grannyland. Patton’s stage presence is larger than life, but what really shines is her vulnerability. She roots the show’s more exaggerated humor in something deeply human.
Emily Shimskey plays Barb, the jaded, overworked mother of teenagers. There is no doubt that comedy is Shimskey’s forte as she creates a big and bold character that leaps the stage. Shimskey has audiences chuckling and gasping with her plucky character choices throughout this show. With the biting wit of Dorothy from The Golden Girls, Shimskey makes the most of every sarcastic aside while finding real weight in lines that acknowledge the exhaustion of raising kids who suddenly stop needing you.
Marva Williams-Parker’s plays Brooke, the high-powered lawyer who somehow keeps the carpool calendar color-coded. Williams-Parker is a powerhouse of stage presence. Her songs crackle with showbiz pizzazz, and the deep, earth mama tones of her voice draw audience members in. Williams-Parker embodies that “supermom” stereotype with gleaming polish but never loses the audience’s empathy. Beneath the bravado, we see a woman stretched thin by expectation.
Maddie Vaughn brings to life Tina, a single mother navigating the complex balancing act of work, family, and a recent divorce. Although the character of Tina is one of the quieter moms of the group, Vaughn blows the roof off the theater with her performance of Every Other Weekend which explores the struggles of finding oneself not only after becoming a mom but after experiencing a separation from your other half. Vaughn’s vulnerability brings audiences back to the reality of the motherhood stereotypes present throughout the show.
Highlights
Together, these four women are dynamite. Their onstage chemistry feels genuine, like friends trading stories over coffee. There’s laughter, eye rolling, and understanding that only comes from years of shared chaos. Even when the script indulges in cartoonish exaggeration, the performers’ rapport keeps the tone authentic.
If there’s one moment that brings down the house, it’s “Grannyland.” The tongue-in-cheek ode to grandmothers who spoil kids rotten. Channeling a bit of Chicago and Funny Girl, the number explodes with playful choreography and masterful vocals. A true audience favorite with its witty lyrics and sometimes too true stories.
Ghostlight Stage Company Production Team
Alyssa Batsakis leads the production as the producer and director. Using an intimate space such as Essex studios, Batsakis transforms the space into a living scrapbook. The show benefits immensely from being so close to its audience; every knowing glance, every sly punchline lands right in our laps.
Choreographer and Lighting Designer Gina Cerimele-Mechley gives the show both physical humor and polish. Her choreography is cheeky and each performer has a moment to showcase their talents through chair dances, “armography”, and even acrobatics.
Eliana Batsakis’s costume and prop design hits the right comedic note. Batsakis mirrors the over-the-top characters by creating cartoonish props that feed into the bits they are creating. Each woman’s outfit becomes an extension of her personality. We see Barb in what can only be described as a granola mom ensemble, Brooke in blazers, and Tina toned down as she tries to find her new self. Even Amy becomes unraveled after the birth of her little one.
Overall
Ghostlight Stage’s Motherhood, The Musical is the perfect weekend activity for mothers and daughters, mom groups, and anyone who knows someone that has experienced motherhood. This production exaggerates every mom cliché but never forgets the bottom line: that motherhood is messy, heroic, and full of laughs. The creative team and cast manage to find grace in the chaos, giving the Essex Studio’s black box a communal heartbeat.
Tickets to Ghostlight Stage’s Motherhood, The Musical
Motherhood, The Musical runs through May 10, 2026, at Essex Studios located at 2511 Essex Place, Cincinnati, OH 45206. Purchase tickets at the door or online at Motherhood, The Musical by Sue Fabisch.
