Describe Parenthood in three words.
Fun. Relatable. Ridiculous.
How did you go about creating the show? Did you start from one particular idea or song?
We had always had it in our minds to write a new musical, the subject matter was easy as we are knee deep in parenthood ourselves, and it’s always best to write about what you know! Our initial idea was to bond parents from every background with laughing at those shared experiences that we all go through, the good, the bad and the ugly!
Got a favourite lyric?
We have a few… ready?
“I’ll criticise your mum-bun while you’re in earshot”
“She brought me the oven, I gave her the bun”
“Every bump and dent and wrinkle, makes me more in love with you”
“I’m panicking I might screw up, use the wrong damn sippy cup”
“The days are long, but the years flew by”
As parents yourselves what did you steal from your own personal experiences?
Oh! So much! Everything from those awkward antenatal classes, the sleepless nights, trying to figure out what on earth your child has drawn and then sticking it on the fridge anyway… we don’t want to give too much away!
You describe the show as being ‘not an Instagram version of parenting’ – do you think there is a lot of pressure to be the “perfect parent” on social media?
I think everyone enjoys putting those wonderful moments and glossy photo’s on social media, and we are all perhaps a little guilty of hiding the tough stuff. Parenthood is an unfiltered look at parenting, even the rough stuff, because it’s never going to be plain sailing and we all get put through the ringer sometimes!
Tell us about Fluffy TOP Productions…
We are a husband and wife team with a background in music and acting. We started our own theatre company to create our own work and also celebrate existing works in our own style. The company is named after our five year old, Tommy, who always had curly hair as a toddler and we called him our little Fluffy TOP. We are a small company, with a big roar!
Any advice for artists out there who are trying to juggle work and parenting?
Good luck! Haha! It’s not easy, at all. Childcare costs the earth, work can be unforgiving. We can’t pretend that we are nailing it ourselves, but I suppose one thing to say is just be kind to yourselves, do what you can do and if you want something badly enough, there will always be a way, it might just take time to figure it out. Well, that’s what we’ve been told, anyway!
Parenthood runs from 23 July -27 July