cunnicularii

Written by Sophie McIntosh; Directed by Nina Goodheart

Alchemical Studios at 50 W 17th St 12th floor, NYC

June 28-July 13

Photo credit by Nina Goodheart Photography

Do I even WANT to be a Mother? That’s a question I’ve been asking myself since my late 20s. Motherhood is embedded in the minds of female representing women in our society. It’s instilled from the moment we can play with toys. Baby dolls with bottles and cribs live in our childhood bedrooms. Flash forward to adulthood. If a woman says she doesn’t have children, it’s retorted with a “some day,” complete with a frowned face and sad tone. Instead of questioning “If,” “When” is pushed upon with emphasis, subconsciously churning Motherhood in the butter batter of human kind.

When I stepped into Studio 1, I was already anticipating my thoughts and questions on Motherhood would be seen in cunnicularii. My gut-feeling was correct. The room is white-washed, leaving a canvas for Sophie McIntosh and the team to paint the picture of what motherhood is — a bunch of different colors smeared together and arranged differently for every woman in the world.

The play begins with a melody composed by Maria Shaughnessy. The harp and Maria’‘s score is, for me, another character in the play. The music dances and emotes along with our Mary, played by Camille Umoff. Green lights are choreographed in perfect timing to the music, illuminating the walls and floors of the room in synchronized moments.

Colors are carefully picked throughout the play, but green, the color of life, was the through-line for this play. Nina Goodheart’s direction is emmensly precise right down to the multifunctional set and blocking, creating a seamless flow for the audience in this intermissionless 95-minute play.

Sophie’s writing of cunnicularii captures the layered nature of motherhood with uncanny skill. The play not only address the WANT of Motherhood and it’s embeddedness in our social culture, but it also touches upon the neglected conversations we have on both the educational and personal level. She also doesn’t shy away from including Fatherhood in the conversation. Howard, Mary’s husband, and Father to Jospehine (a rabbit), has his own journey with parenthood — grappling with the expected behaviors of a father figure and what kind of father he wants to be.

Mary goes through her story the hard way, finding out that being a mother is more than it’s cracked up to be - from pregnancy to life after birth, no matter how different a child can be. Mary gives birth to a Rabbit, which ties into many more layers of parent/child relationships than my word count for this review allows. I will say this: if you see this show, the Rabbit speaks volumes.

Mother-in-laws, men, and doctors are the ones advising and commenting on what mothers should do and should be, shrinking the voice of the mother herself. Mary’s shrunken voice is a theme of this show. Her individuality is stripped and she too is grappling with what kind of parent she wants to be without losing herself.

Sophie has touched upon something bigger. I have not had children, but as a person who has lost herself in a role she played for the sake of someone else, I very much appreciate Sophie and Nina’s work on this play. It’s so easy to lose sight of ourselves and our health when we have any form of a relationship. Sophie makes it a point to say through a Mother and Child, that we do not own each other. We do not belong to each other. We simply belong. Together.

cunniculariii is playing at Alchemist studios through July 13th, 2024. It is happy. It is sad. It is funny. It is inquisitive. Tickets are available for purchase at www.cunnicularii.com.

Presented by Good Apples Collective; Produced by Esmé Ng

Cick HERE for tickets.

Review by Amanda Montoni.

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