News and Events

News and Events

Williamson Herald 11-06-08	Motherhood. While playing with their dolls, little girls often dream about being a mother. As little girls get older, the dreams take on a new dimension; the sweet smell of baby powder, the sound of an infant discovering his voice, the soft feel of a little hand and the look of discovery in a child’s eyes are the dreams of a woman before she has children. Then there's the reality: the laundry, the dishes and the dust bunnies. Tailored suits give way to fleece jogging pants and a sweatshirt, the scrungie replaces expensive hair products, spit-up the latest perfume scent and oatmeal and carrots become the newest brand of makeup. “Motherhood the Musical,” an original musical comedy by Nolensville resident Sue Fabisch, exposes those dreams and the reality, with a touch of comic relief that is paramount to being a parent. The show debuts Nov. 12 and runs through Nov. 15 at the Dark Horse Theater on Charlotte Avenue in Nashville. “Every mother has had that day – when you want to climb into a closet and hide, but you can only do that so many times before they find you,” said Fabisch, the mother of four; a 5-year-old, an 8-year-old, an 11-year-old and a 46-year-old, a dog and four cats, she added with a smile. “Kids can drive you crazy if you let them.” The 90-minute musical is the journey of four women in four different stages of motherhood – stages all mothers can relate to and many have been through. “This is a four-woman show about the trials and tribulations of motherhood according to three jaded ladies who know what motherhood is really about,” said Fabisch, who also considers herself an entertainer and a songwriter. Barb is an over-worked, underpaid, stressed-out mother of five. Catherine is a lawyer. She works too much and barely sees her kids. Jenna is a single mom struggling to juggle it all. Then there’s Julie, the naïve 20-something about to have her first child and learn the truth about motherhood. During a baby shower, the friends expose the good, the bad and the ugly sides of motherhood, Fabisch said. “The diapers, the dirty laundry, the lazy husbands and everything in between – everything comes out in the open,” Fabisch said. “In every song writing class and every writing class, they tell you to write about what you know and right now, I know motherhood. I consider myself a mom who is an entertainer, a writer and someone who wants to be in the music business.” “Motherhood the Musical” includes 18 songs, 14 of which are original numbers written or co-written by Fabisch while four are parodies. While the play takes a comedic approach to motherhood, there are moments that will get the tears flowing, so be prepared to laugh till it hurts, but bring a tissue, too! For those who want to bring their husband or significant other, “Men will enjoy the show, too,” Fabisch said. “The songs are really, really funny – plus there are dancing girls.” But, due to the vasectomy song, Fabisch cautions, “the show is not for children.” Tickets are $10 each. A Mom’s Night Out pack of 10 tickets is only $50 – so grab the girls and escape for the evening. There will be a $25 Costco door prize each night. For more information, directions and to purchase tickets, go to http://www.music4mommies.com/Page.html.

May 17, 2008	REVIEW: MOTHERHOOD: The Musical "Usually when I start getting heavy, I just get pregnant again - because it's so much easier than going on a diet" - MOTHERHOOD - THE MUSICAL It may have just been a reading, but the folks who gathered at The Looby Theater last night couldn't have cared less. I don't know when I have heard an audience laugh so hard or as much as they did at the truly witty collection of songs which local songwriter Sue Fabisch has fashioned into the delightful tale of three friends giving a baby shower for a first time mother - and giving her the low down on what she is in for. Fabisch has taken what seems like an obvious move for a Nashville songwriter, and put 18 brilliant songs by herself and her songwriting partners in to a book musical. The premise of the baby shower is perfect for this assortment of wigged out mommies to vent the spectrum of joys and frustrations that come with motherhood. Most of the numbers - MOMMY, MOMMY, MOMMY; IF I HAD TIME; I NEED A WIFE; OOPS, I'M PREGNANT AGAIN - are just flat out funny because they are so grounded in reality. A couple - DANNY'S MOM; MY SISTER - got everyone all misty, and the closing number - WHEN THE KIDS ARE GROWN - just plain out moved everyone to tears. The characters and their different takes on motherhood were beautifully portrayed by an amazing cast of local actresses. As Barb, Lynda Cameron-Bayer was off the hook as the cynical mother of six. Cameron-Bayer has a way with both vocal and facial antics which on their own were worth the trip to the theater, but her rendition of DANNY'S MOM really tugged at the heart strings and almost (ALmost) made me wish I had kids. Jewel Lucien, as Jenna, the single mother of two, was somehow also the sanest and most grounded of the four, serving as the "straight man" for everybody else's kookiness. Her baby shower gift was a blanket knitted by her late sister and the song that come out of that was one of the most poignant moments of the evening. Lucien, who comes out of a gospel background, has a stunning voice and her recent turns in DREAMGIRLS, CHICAGO and SWEENY TODD have shown that she has the acting chops to go with the voice and make her a major asset to Nashville's musical theater scene. Janna Landry, as Catherine, the wealthy mom who had the benefit of nannies and housekeepers, was outrageous, and her lament OOPS I'M PREGNANT AGAIN (hysterically choreographed by Ruth Rosen) gave us a sense of the shows potential for an over the top good time. As Julie, the first time mother to be. Kymberlee Thompson made the role her own. She has a sweet voice and a vacuous deadpan that blossoms into emotion in a way that captured all the naivete and expectation of a young girl who hasn't had to deal with diapers and poo and scouts and ballet classes, but just can't wait to be a mother. MOTHERHOOD - THE MUSICAL is a great good time and the reading - part of the Tennessee Women's Theater Project's Women's Work Showcase - was a savvy first step. And in a very Oprah-like moment, as we were exiting the theater, everyone in the audience got a mom-friendly pouch of Ragu. Shows like this aren't just art or entertainment - they are also commercial enterprises that if properly approached have the potential to serve as serious marketing tools for sponsors from all levels. Readings of new plays are the backbone of the New York theater scene, because they bring the writers' friends and associates in to the project at the ground level and leave everyone waiting on pins and needles to see what will happen next with the show. Fabisch has done a super job of creating a property with an almost unstoppable future and undeniable potential for success. MOTEHRHOOD should be seen by all Nashville songwriters who have a drawer full of good material which no one is going to pitch to Reba but which deserve a better fate than the trash bin. It's not just a great show - it's a landmark show, one which should serve as a model for both the songwriting and theater communities here in Music City USA and will hopefully inspire a whole new era in the cultural evolution of our city. The smartest thing Nashville could do right now is get behind this artist and her show and PUSH! Jaz Dorsey The Dramaturgy Project Nashville, Tennessee

The Tennessean - February 19, 2008	Moms go on the air with family talk show Songwriter and radio reporter host 'Mommy Time Radio' on WLAC By BONNIE BURCH Staff Writer NASHVILLE — Welcome listeners, to Mommy Time Radio, the brainchild of Williamson County moms Karla Lawson and Sue Fabisch. Listeners can hear the latest information on attention deficit disorder or the safety of Chinese-made products. Topics may veer to baby spit-up, teen-agers' driving lessons or the inability to find quality cuddling time with a husband in a time-crunched world. "Whether it's us talking about how to pack for a spring break trip or the worst toys to buy during the Christmas season, we want to present something both fun and informative. And as a busy mom myself, I know how pushed for time everybody is," radio show co-host Lawson said. But even though it's made for and by mommies, Lawson and Fabisch promise their hourlong radio program doesn't have just a female bent. And with early Sunday afternoon airings, the entire family can listen in the car on their way back from church services or heading out to a sunny day picnic. "Our shows are about families. And a lot of our callers are men who say they listen and want to give the dad side of things. Some of our biggest listeners are men," Lawson said. Anything that families could possibly be interested in is in bounds. And that can include a lot — from Britney Spears' latest meltdown to weight watching after giving birth to breast cancer awareness issues. The format is often open to in-studio guests, such as a Gold Star mother who has lost her child in combat, a doctor providing information on vaccines or a hot new music star talking about her latest album. Takes one to know one For Fabisch, a gregarious New Jersey native, it's easy to find inspiration on the types of topics to address. "Well, for one thing, we are the demographic," she said. A longtime radio personality and traffic reporter for WSIX-FM 98, Lawson, who has a 17-month-old son and 17- and 21-year-old step sons, looked to Fabisch, a mother of three with ages spanning 4 to 11, for advice when she was thinking of starting the parent-oriented radio show. A songwriter, Fabisch has recorded mom-centric parody songs such as "The Mom of Constant Sorrow," "O Mother, Where Art Thou?" and "Wal-Mart Woman." She also has two albums under her belt: a motivational CD for Avon sellers, The Avon Lady Album, and Music 4 Mommies, Volume 1, a Billboard magazine Top 10 comedy hit. But it soon became apparent that her friend would be the ultimate co-host. Their personalities match for a lively radio show with Lawson typically taking on the role of straight lady while Fabisch often is the wacky sidekick — a pairing that goes back in the entertainment industry to Dean and Jerry, Abbott and Costello or even Bert and Ernie. By early October, Mommy Time Radio was on the air when all four youngsters dropped by the studios for an impromptu Take Your Kid to Work Day. Amazingly, the show with the kids in the studio came off without a hitch. Both moms said their children often get the perks of their names being mentioned on air every week, which can also have its minor embarrassment downside. And that goes for their husbands as well. "Anything you say or do can be said in a microphone," Fabisch has warned her brood.

January 20, 2008	MommyTime Radio spent time at the Health, Fitness and Beauty Expo 2008 at Cool Springs Mall. David Griffin from NBC's The Biggest Loser and his lovely wife Sherri joined us as well!