Pam Levin is refreshingly honest in her new one woman show,:“Tales of Modern Motherhood: Part 2 Gender and Identity This sht just trans…formed,” recently premiering at the Whitefire Theatre. Written, directed, and starring in this show, Levin proves herself a triple threat, a dynamo force to be reckoned with. She takes on the very sensitive, once taboo theme of sexual identity, in particular, relating to her youngest daughter, who identifies as a he/him. So many memoirs and solo shows have been written, centering in courage and pride, and this one is a definite standout. Levin portrays her daughter Darby, wearing a badge of courage, her heart on her sleeve, as it were, lucky to have the most supportive, loving, understanding parents, even in the midst of a ‘new normal.’ In more than one vignette, Levin reveals the proud moments of embrace between herself, the forever loyal mom, and her daughter, craving parental love. She shares heartfelt true stories, mixed with comedic banter, sure to capture each audience member’s heart and empathy. This is yet another wonderful performance by the uber talented Levin, who had a most successful run of her first one woman show, “Tales of Modern Motherhood – This Sht Got Real” with sold out audiences on both coasts. Her latest show reveals her unbreakable bond with both of her daughters, as she discovers they have more in common, than one would ever imagine, all in the name of motherly love. Being true to oneself, or in Shakespeare’s words, “to thine own self be true,” was far and above the most powerful, compelling message of the evening’s performance. Having watched the performance on a livestream made it all the more intimate, almost like a one on one monologue/conversation between viewer and actor. Herman Hesse often wrote about the divergence between men and women, and how often men have innate feminine characteristics, and vice versa. Even in today’s world, with transgender culture much less taboo, with the explosion of popular shows, such as Transparent, we still are in constant conflict and discussion over the question of “are women really women?; are men really men? Or are we all just human beings conflicted within our own bodies. Levin tackles this very delicate question from a very personal place, her own family, her own daughter, her own tears and fears of the years ahead, in the most honest, beautiful yet theatrical way, mixing ‘mama drama’ with just the right dash of comedic levity. The creativity and courage of this amazing performance is a huge start to coming to terms with sexual identity; fears all in the past, the chance to state, “I am who I am,” loud and proud.
http://www.whitefiretheatre.com Your Truth…in “Tales of Modern Motherhood
Bonnie Priever Curtain Up 