BWW Interviews: For Ingrid Cole, MOTHERHOOD Comes Naturally

Playing the role of busy lawyer and mom Brooke in "Motherhood The Musical" doesn't feel like much of a stretch for Atlanta actor Ingrid Cole.

"I can certainly relate to this show," said Cole, who's currently starring in the production at Atlanta's 14th Street Playhouse. "My daughter is also a singer, and she's in a show now. I won't be able to see any of the actual performances because I'll be working. I saw rehearsals, but it's just not the same.

"It's probably the worst feeling in the world."

Written by award-winning singer/songwriter Sue Fabisch, "Motherhood the Musical"—subtitled "The Good, the Bad, and the Laundry"—tells the stories of four women: "Amy, a soon-to-be first-time mom; Brooke, a hard-working lawyer; Barb, a stressed-out mother of five; and Tasha, a single mom seeking to balance work, her family and her divorce." The show is directed and choreographed by Lisa Shriver, with Johnny Rodgers providing musical direction, arrangements, and orchestrations. Performances run through Nov. 20.

Cole said the show is "so charming" and something everyone can relate to, not just mothers.

"It's 90 minutes of laughter and 10 minutes of crying," she said. "It has lots of joyful moments and tender moments. I love being part of something where people walk away with something more than just humming a song."

Cole described her three co-stars in "Motherhood," Jewel Lucien, Mary Kathryn Key, and Lisa Manulias, as "just off the chart great."

"I think they found the perfect combination with the four of us," she said. "You'll think we've been friends for years."

Cole said she considers herself a character actor and that, in Atlanta's growing theater market, there are about a dozen actors looking for similar roles. She said they're all supportive of each other.

"There's enough work for all of us," she said. "Everyone needs to supplement [Cole teaches voice lessons and works as a substitute school teacher], but you definitely can make a living here."

Cole, winner of a 2010 Suzi Bass Award for Best Leading Actress and nominated for Best Featured Actress in 2011, is part of an extended musical family. Her nominated role this year came as the mayor's wife in "The Music Man" at the Atlanta Lyric Theater; the mayor was played by her husband, Robert Wayne (now featured in "Spring Awakening" at Actor's Express). Cole grew up surrounded by music as well: her father was choir director at their church, and her mother sang alto in the choir.

"That's how I learned to sing," Cole said, adding that she still sings in her church choir.

Cole's theater preferences overall run to musicals, she said. She's performed in a number of them, including "A Catered Affair" at the Aurora Theater in Duluth, an Atlanta suburb; "The Pirates of Penzance" and "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" at the Atlanta Lyric Theater; and both local and touring companies of the predecessor to "Motherhood," "Menopause the Musical." In the summer of 2012, she'll be starting at the Lyric again, in the classic role of Rose in "Gypsy."

"There's nothing like a good musical," Cole said. "The fluffier the better!"

One of Cole's favorite shows was "See What I Wanna See," a musical based on three Japanese short stories, which played last season at Actor's Express. She said she likes that the artistic director there tends to pick "not your typical productions."

"It's things you end up going home and thinking about for months," she said. "Art is something you can take home with you."

As for her dream role, Cole is quick to answer: Mrs. Lovett in "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." And once her daughter is grown, she said she'd like to take on the role in an international tour.

"I've been very fortunate that what I want, I get," she said. "So I plan on that for the future!"