A moving look at parenthood beyond the veil of perfection women struggle to live up too. The truth of it is a lot more complicated. Well done.

Society's expectations of motherhood often require superhuman perfection, despite the fact that part of parenting is being human. This play beautifully captures the common doubts and fears of motherhood, and the powerful vulnerability it takes to express those doubts and fears.

I saw "The Worst Mother in the World" produced by Halcyon in Chicago. This play shows the anxiety of parenthood in ways I've never seen before. It's rare that a play gets me feeling the feelings of the characters, but I felt unbelievably anxious for these mothers. Neither being a parent nor being a child is always easy, and in this play we get to see that yearning to be better, but feeling incapable of changing. Kari Bentley-Quinn shows us the complexity of real life and avoids any cliche trappings of parent/child relationships. It's a smart and powerful play.