Review: MOM'S NIGHT OUT At 54 Below A Newly-Born Series To Be Loved

An exciting new 54 Below series has been inaugurated on the stage of Broadway’s Living Room, and even though it is, most definitely, exciting, it isn’t exciting in that grandstand-y, power ballad, vocal pyrotechnics kind of way.  Oh, there are ballads, and they are powerful, and there is vocal skill, let there be no mistake about that.  All those elements are there, plus one very special, very exciting, but very heartfelt element: motherhood.

On October 14th, the Megan Minutillo-created series MOM’S NIGHT OUT: THE CONCERT SERIES debuted, and the second installment is fast approaching on November 4th, and before diving into this review, people should just click HERE and get their reservations because this is the concert series that everyone wants to see.  

Now, obviously, that is a sweeping generalization.  There are people in the world who lost their mothers at an early age, or whose mothers weren’t especially nice, or who didn’t have feelings of positivity for their mothers, for whatever reason, and maybe those people won’t be rushing out to buy a ticket to MOM’S NIGHT OUT, and this writer acknowledges those people and their position - but for the members of society who don’t mind The Generalization Broom or being swept up by it, yes, this is the show you want to see.

MOM’S NIGHT OUT is not just a concert of women singing “I stand for motherhood, America and a hot lunch for orphans,” or "So this is the tale my mother told me…” (which isn’t such a bad idea, when you think about the talent showcased by the cast of the October 14th show).  These women have brought more than just a song with them - they have each brought their own life experience(s).  So, once Minutillo had offered her opening remarks, each of the moms (all working actresses from the New York entertainment community) had a story, an anecdote, some words of wisdom, of comfort, of wit to impart before launching into their personally curated song.  And each of the moms was as down-to-earth, honest, funny, real, and relatable as one could hope - relatable even to the men in the audience because one assumes those men have women in their lives who are moms, women and moms they adore.  And unless you’re a mom yourself, these stories being told are probably not stories with which you are particularly familiar, unless you spend a lot of time talking about the abject terror and disappoint you might feel when you see those two little lines, or the heartbreak of taking your child to school on a two-show day, knowing that the next time you see them, twenty-four hours will have passed.  The women of the October 14th cast opened eyes with stories about adoption, foster parenting, birth parents and long lost siblings, with tales of trying for years to have a baby, your faith in your god being tested each time an attempt at pregnancy failed, with stories that other moms will vigorously nod yes to but that will open the eyes of others lacking in the motherhood experience.  And all these personal histories were recounted with the storytelling skills of right and proper actresses who know how to do their jobs as orators, right before doing a deep dive into an emotional number from maybe a musical play or an animated feature or right off of the radio.  It was a most entertaining and enlightening evening of motherhood, of humanity, and storytelling in song and speeches.

And before anyone reading this review starts to think it was all emotions of the more serious side, let this writer state firmly and plainly that these women are funny.  And some of the musical numbers were hilarious.  Because even though motherhood is important and sincere work, motherhood comes with a lot of laughs - some of them unintentional, yes, but the tribulations of toddlers can often provide some of the high points of levity in a mother’s story, and MOM’S NIGHT OUT: THE CONCERT SERIES is just the place to get those giggles… and the misty eyes… and the knowledge of the new… and a good, a great, a weighty reminder of what your own Mam gave you, gave up for you, and how that wife, sister, best friend, favorite actress, colleague is more than just a mom - she’s a person of her own… a person of her own who just happens to be a superhero in an apron and, in the case of the MOM’S NIGHT OUT ladies, damn fine entertainers.

Trust this Mama’s Boy when he says this: you want to check out MOM’S NIGHT OUT: THE CONCERT SERIES because it’s wonderful - you will just love it.  Also - call your mom.

The next performance of MOM’S NIGHT OUT: THE CONCERT SERIES will play 54 Below on November 4th at 9:30 pm.  Find out who is in the cast and get a reservation HERE.

The MOM’S NIGHT OUT Musical Director and accompanist is the extremely gifted Emily Cohn

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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