By Angeline Acain
MotherStruck! Staceyann Chin’s one-woman performance at the Lynn Redgrave Theater is a tour de force. Chin is exciting to watch as she moves up and down between the audience, red Mohawked shaven head, muscled torso, arms gesticulating. Then skillfully using a minimalist set stage, slithering with legs up mimicking self-insemination. Her words and expression effectively convey a colorful cast of characters from Jamaica and New York magically creating their presence on stage. Staceyann is a master storyteller, performance artist and playwright and shares her incredible experience of being “struck” on a road to motherhood as a single lesbian living in a gentrifying Brooklyn. Kudos to celebrity LGBT moms Cynthia Nixon for directing and Rosie O’Donnell for producing MotherStruck!
On the evening that I attended, at the end of her performance was a talk back with Chin. What made the talk back extra enjoyable was Chin’s adorable 4-year-old daughter Zuri joining her mom on stage and addressing the audience. Mother and daughter spoke about their YouTube series, Living Room Protest, where they speak out about different topics. Especially adorable was Zuri showing some promotional wisdom beyond her years by reminding her mom on stage that she should hold up a copy of Chin’s memoir “The Otherside of Paradise.” There are two other talk back performance nights and I overheard that Cynthia Nixon and Rosie O’Donnell may be joining Chin on stage for those. The performance runs only until the end of January so buy your tickets now. Go to www.MotherStruck.com.
Staceyann Chin and Rosie O’Donnell
Staceyann Chin and Cynthia Nixon
Staceyann Chin and daughter Zuri talk to the audience at MotherStruck! Copyright Gay Parent Magazine
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