Mother's Day is May 11. While you may be planning on taking your mother, or maternal figure in your life, out to brunch, why not also treat her to a Broadway show? There's still time to get a last-minute rush ticket. Below are five shows about mothers and their children鈥攕ome of them starring women who are rightly considered Broadway's most iconic mothers (in all senses of the word).
Gypsy
If your mom loves theatre, then why not take her to see the most iconic stage mother in Broadway history, played by an iconic mother herself, Audra McDonald? Even if Mom has seen Gypsy before, we guarantee she's never seen a Rose quite like this (there's a reason insiders are saying McDonald might get her seventh Tony Award for Gypsy). This newest revival of the classic Arthur Laurents, Jule Styne, and Stephen Sondheim musical reinterprets Rose's plight (and her turn) through the eyes of a Black mother who will stop at nothing to make sure her children are successful. So give Mom some roses, and then take her to see Momma Rose.
Hell鈥檚 Kitchen
If Mom prefers more contemporary music, and if she likes to move to the music, take her to Hell's Kitchen, the musical featuring the songs of Grammy winner Alicia Keys. The show is about a young girl named Ali, who lives with her single mom Jersey. While the show has been written about as a story of a young girl finding her voice, it's also about a young girl's relationship with her mother as she comes of age鈥擩ersey is just as much as a fully realized character as her daughter. And Mom even gets her time to shine in her rendition of "Fallin'," showing that just because she's a mom, she still has plenty of life and desires left. Hell's Kitchen is truly a show for mothers and the children who love them. And at the end, the two of you can dance together to "Empire State of Mind."
Redwood
Idina Menzel has been called the "queen of Broadway," making her another name that is usually accompanied by "mother!" The Tony winner has played a witch, a rebel, and an ice princess, but in Redwood, she plays a role she's never played before: a mom grieving her child, who climbs a redwood tree to find healing. Menzel does some of the most moving acting work of her career here, and also accomplishes new athletic feats by singing while suspended on wires in the air. The story's a tearjerker, so bring tissues; you and Mom might find yourself reaching for each other's hand during the show鈥攅specially when Menzel talks about how "there's no end" to a mother's love. Redwood closes on Broadway May 18, so if you want to see the show, purchase your tickets now.
Real Women Have Curves
Justina Machado broke out while playing a single mom struggling with PTSD in Netflix's One Day at a Time. Now she's nominated for a Tony Award for playing an immigrant mom in the new Broadway musical Real Women Have Curves. Though Machado's character Carmen can easily be just another overprotective matriarch, she gives a complex and moving performance opposite newcomer Tatianna C贸rdoba, who plays Carmen's daughter, Ana. Both perfectly portray that fraught, yet loving, relationship between immigrant parents and their American-born children. Real Women Have Curves is an empowering and feel-good tribute to the power of women, the ones who take care of their families and hold their communities together鈥攁nd it pairs perfectly with a mimosa.
Old Friends
Old Friends isn't really a story about mothers and children, but it does have Lea Salonga singing "Everything's Coming Up Roses" and "Children Will Listen." This revue of Stephen Sondheim songs tackle a number of different life stages, from young love, to longtime marriages, to parents and children. Plus, Bernadette Peters sings "Send in the Clowns," and Beth Leavel sings "Ladies Who Lunch." Basically, if your mother loves anthems to fabulous dames, you should take her to Old Friends. She'll get to hear the songs she loves while being exposed to new songs that she might not have heard before. And the show also features older women commanding the stage, doing a kick line, and even doing splits鈥攕howing that vocal power and pizzazz can be found at any age.
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