Just Do It

Parenting 101: The Musical

by Helen I. Hwang

Runs through Sept. 14, $47, Innovation Studio, Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad St., 215-731-3333, kimmelcenter.org

Who would guess that the creators of the off-Broadway hit Bush Wars would dream up an irreverent musical revue about the oldest (unpaid) job in the world — parenthood? Now at the Kimmel Center's Innovation Studio, Parenting 101 is a series of musical vignettes touching upon the pain of giving birth, the nasty accidents of potty training, the trauma of kindergarten, the perils of your child's first date, the foibles at their wedding and the witnessing of the cycle turning full circle when your offspring becomes a parent.

How did co-writers Nancy Holson and Jay Falzone switch from poking fun at politicians to parenting? "In the political world, things have gotten ugly in a lot of ways. It's almost hard to keep satirizing," says Holson by phone from her home in New York City. "Parenting is a topic that's universal. Children, as opposed to politicians, are really straightforward. After dealing with the political world, this is kinda fun."

She says she got the idea for the show in a late-night IM conversation with her sister, Susan, who's also a co-producer. Since then, the play's been workshopped in the Berkshires and had successful runs in Burlington, Vt.; St. Louis, Mo.; and Rochester, N.Y. Audience members have ranged from young parents to "anyone who's had a parent," says Holson.

Raising two children, now 23 and 24 years old, has given her plenty of fodder, she says. "It's laughter with love at our children's expense."