![\"Parenthood:](\"https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/edmontonjournal/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/parenthood_304754171.jpg\" "\\"Parenthood:")
Parenthood: It’s a Mutha
3.5 stars (Out of 5)
Stage 32, Lorne Cardinal Theatre at The Roxy, 10708 124 St.
As you might expect from the title, this one-woman show covers the trials and tribulations of parenthood. Appropriately, Michelle Todd starts at the beginning: the birth story. While women love to swap harrowing tales, she assures us, “My labour stories are short and funny, like me.” And she keeps that promise.
Todd covers a lot of ground: the joys of early Christmas trees, the grief of losing a grandparent, and the learning curve of becoming a hockey mom. She relays her deep, awful fear for her son when he needed a prop gun for a Shakespeare play, in a world where 12-year-old Tamir Rice was shot and killed while holding a fake gun.
Interjected between longer observations and storytelling, Todd incorporates “random thoughts from children,” which are introduced via a sing-song sound bite in those words. The thoughts themselves were entertaining enough, and ranged from funny to bleak — “Where do all the coyotes go when we build over their homes?” — but I have to admit the recorded sound bite became a little grating with repetition.
Todd keeps a good pace and incorporates other whimsical elements into the show, including prompts from her husband (“Bob on the god mic”). Overall, it was an enjoyable exploration of parenthood, and sure to be relatable for many folks.