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KPR Presents
October 29. 2023
Co-writer Julie Dunlap joins KPR Presents host Kaye McIntyre for an in-depth look at the writing and producing process from page(s) to stage(s) and everything in between. 

 

Lawrence Journal-World
October 28. 2023
MotherFreakingHood! returns to the stage at the Lawrence Arts Center 10 years after it first debuted at 940 New Hampshire. Much has changed in the world and in the show over the past 10 years, but one thing that hasn't changed is the universal truths that bind all moms together, no matter which park bench they ride. Learn more from co-writer Julie Dunlap! 

 

Chicago Tribune
May 23, 2023
3 1/2 Stars (out of 4)! Citing its "fresh, truthful" storytelling and "wry, honest" way of letting parents in the audience know they are not alone, Chris Jones from the Chicago Tribune found MotherFreakingHood! and its "stellar cast of musical comedians" to be both comforting and entertaining. (Use this link for no paywall)

 

Fox 32 Good Day Chicago!
May 22, 2023
Tim McGill spent the morning with the creators, actors, and music director of MotherFreakingHood! and learned there is sooooo much more to expect when expecting... and beyond! Perfect way to spend Memorial Day Weekend in Chicago! Check out their live performance here... 

 

Spotlight on Lake
May 22, 2023
Carol Moore from Spotlight on Lake calls MotherFreakingHood! a "freaking laugh riot," giving it "four BIG spotlights!" Read more from Moore to find out why this show "will have you in stitches!"

 

Chicago Reader
May 18, 2023
Bridgette Redman finds humor and heart in the "high-energy hilarity" both on stage and in the audience at MotherFreakingHood!. Read her entire review this "incomparable journey" in the Chicago Reader online!

 

Macaroni Kid Chicago Northside
May 17, 2023
Debra Flanagan from Macaroni Kid Chicago Northside enjoyed this "laugh-out-loud... absolutely hilarious" production, assuring readers of this review, "Remember all those times you said, 'one day we'll laugh about this,' well today's the day." Read the rest of Debra's review AND find more information on Macaroni Kid's summer raffle!

 

Third Coast Review
May 15, 2023
"From the breast to the bottle to the wine glass, MotherFreakingHood! is a fun, witty, and raucous musical," says Kathy Hey of Third Coast Review. Read more about this phenomenal cast, musical director Linda Madonia, and director Heidi Van, who directed the production "with firecracker energy that spills into the aisles of the intimate Venus Cabaret."

 

Chicago Theatre Review
May 14, 2023
Colin Douglas from Chicago Theatre Review exclaims, "An excellent way to celebrate Mother’s Day everyday, the Chicago premiere of Julie Dunlap and Sara Stotts’ gleeful, gut-busting musical comedy makes a great girls’ afternoon or night out... This baby is a real winner!"

 

Dean Richards' Sunday Morning, WGN Radio
May 14, 2023
Co-writer Sara Stotts and co-star Tafadzwa Diener sit down with legendary Dean Richards to talk a things MotherFreakingHood! Catch their conversation and Tafadzwa's fabulous live on-air performance at the 1-hour mark!

Sara Taf Dean

 

Around the Town Chicago
May 13, 2023
MotherFreakingHood: It's not just for moms! Read more from Around the Town Chicago's Alan Bresloff's four-star review. "The women were laughing louder than I was ( which many would say is hard to do, as I am known as a laugher)..."

 

Mother's Day Ideas!
April 26, 2023
Looking for ideas to celebrate Mother's Day? Check out this Mother's Day guide from Macaroni Kid packed with everything you could possibly do with Mom... including seeing MotherFreakingHood!

 

Mother's Day in North Shore Chicago
April 26, 2023
Celebrate Mother's Day with your favorite mom in Chicago's North Shore. From munchies to mimosas to MotherFreakingHood!, Chicago North Shore Moms Mother's Day guide has it all!

 

Chicago Tribune Wilmette Life
April 22, 2023
How did navigating the world of child-rearing turn into a fully-staged, epically hilarious, original musical comedy? Chicago Tribune writer Myrna Petlicki talks with MotherFreakingHood! co-creator Sara Stotts and finds out! Read to learn more about Sara's road from conception to opening night in Chicago.

 

Chicago Parent
March 29, 2023
Catch up with the multi-talented MotherFreakingHood! co-creator Sara Stotts as she shares all with Lori Orlinsky at Chicago Parent and find out what it is like to write a musical for moms, as a mom... debuting in her own backyard of Chicagoland, May 2023! 

 

Chicago North Shore Moms
March 28, 2023
Check out this hilariously fabulous feature on co-creator - and Chicagoland mom - Sara Stotts from Chicago North Shore Moms! Learn more about Sara and her motherfreaking balancing act as a mom and physical therapist and writer and producer and singer and all-around bada$$.


sara and kids

 

Broadway World - Chicago
March 9, 2023
"MotherFreakingHood!" is coming to Chicago! Produced by MFH Productions, LLC, the show will run May 4 - June 11 at the Venus Cabaret Theater at Mercury Theater Chicago in Wrigleyville. Director Heidi Van and musical director Linda Madonia will lead an all-female cast of Leah Morrow, Jacquelyne Jones, Tafadzwa Diener, and Maya Rowe.


award

 

Joyful Purpose Podcast
March 7, 2023
Joyful Purpose Podcast host Kathy McCabe sits down with MotherFreakingHood! co-writer Sara Stotts for a deep dive into developing creativity, accepting constructive feedback, and finding purpose through joy while co-writing a musical about motherhood. Find the Joyful Purpose Podcast on your favorite streaming service!

 

Broadway World
January 26, 2023
Broadway World named "MotherFreakingHood!" 2022's Best New Play or Musical (Professional) for the Kansas City region, with additional nominations going to Heidi Van for Best Director, Teri Adams for Best Actor and MotherFreakingHood! for Best Play. Congratulations to Fishtank Theatre, Inc on this award-winning production!


award

KMBZ's Dana Wright
December 8, 2022
Check out Dana Wright's VERY NSFW review of the show in Kansas City.



IN Kansas City Magazine
August 29, 2022
IN Kansas City chatted with director/producer Heidi Van to cover all things MotherFreakingHood!

 

Fox 4 Morning Show in Kansas City
August 29, 2022
Celia Shea Thompson (portraying Rachel) and Julie Danielson (music director) give audiences a sneak peek at MotherFreakingHood! with an excerpt from the new song, Move the Line!



Show-Score reviews
August 11, 2017
Eleven out of 12 reviewers recommend MotherFreakingHood!, while one out of 12 calls it "deplorable" - 
Julie's mother couldn't be more proud.

 

StageBuddy Review
August 10, 2017
Jennifer Rizzi calls MotherFreakingHood! "a fun and fast-paced comedy" in her StageBuddy review

 

TheaterMania Review
August 4, 2017
Zachary Stewart declares "this musical is a hoot" in his TheaterMania review

 

MotherFreakingHood! charms at NYMF
August 3, 2017
Take a look at what's happening on stage with BroadwayWorld

 

Opening Night Celebration
August 2, 2017

The cast and creative team celebrate Opening Night of MotherFreakingHood! at the Brazen Tavern

 

Meet the full cast and creative team
August 1, 2017
BroadwayWorld takes a look at the outstanding cast and creative team bringing the show to life

 

BroadwayWorld takes a look at Mother Shows at NYMF
July 29, 2017
One good show deserves a mother... Read BroadwayWorld for more!

 

Theater in the Now interviews Julie and Sara
July 27, 2017
Learn more about Sara Stotts and Julie Dunlap in their interviews with Theater in the Now

 

Interview with Stage Buddy
July 14, 2017
Meet the writers of MotherFreakingHood! as they share a little background about the show

 

Broadway.com's Top 8 NYMF Shows to see!
July 11, 2017
Broadway.com announces its Top 8 2017 NYMF shows to see -- we couldn't agree more!

 

Playbill names 9 must-see NYMF shows
July 11, 2017
Playbill names MotherFreakingHood! as one of its nine shows not to be missed during the 2017 New York Musical Festival

 

2017 NYMF cast announced
July 10, 2017
Harriett D. Foy, Erin Leigh Peck, Veronica Reyes-How, Annie Dow and Jimmy Brewer join the cast of MotherFreakingHood! for the 2017 New York Musical Festival. Read more in Broadway World!

 

Once a Jayhawk, ALWAYS a Jayhawk!
July 2015
Co-writers Julie Dunlap and Sara Stotts treasure their time at the University of Kansas, especially their involvement in Rock Chalk Revue. Learn about their road from Mt. Oread to the Goppert Theatre stage in this piece by Jennifer Sanner with the KU Alumni Association... ROCK CHALK!!!

 

Kansas City Star 2015
June 1, 2015
Theatre critic Robert Trussell with the Kansas City Star calls “MotherFreakingHood!” a “slickly executed, beautifully performed series of musical vignettes…” stating “The original songs by Julie Dunlap and Sara Stotts are clever, irreverent and inventive…” Read the complete review for his praise of ultra-talented director Heidi Van and cast Jennifer Mays, Nancy Nail, Sara Carolyn Kennedy, Vanessa Severo and Anthony Gasbarre, as well as musical director Daniel Doss and the exceptional crew!

 

Broadway World 2015
May 31, 2015
Find out why Steve Wilson with Broadway World believes “MotherFreakingHood!” is “without a doubt the funniest musical comedy of the theater season in Kansas City… The two playwrights have masterfully filled the pages with so much humor that like the movies Airplane and The Naked Gun it must be seen several times to catch it all.”

 

Wyandotte Daily
June 6, 2015
William Crum with the Wyandotte Daily was blown away by “MotherFreakingHood!”,
enthusiastically claiming “It’s one of the most entertaining plays I have seen in a long time.
When I saw it I laughed so hard my sides began to hurt and tears rolled down my cheek.”

 

Fox 4 Morning Show 2015
May 20, 2015
Julie and Sara are back on morning network television, much to the surprise of the FCC!
They brought along Sara Carolyn Kennedy for a sneak peek, performing Has Anyone Seen My Baby (Part III) on Kansas City’s Fox 4 Morning Show with music director Daniel Doss accompanying.

 

Kansas City Star 2014
Sept 1, 2014
Julie and Sara are not the only moms fighting for freedom from Pinterest perfection.
Read more about their mission in the Kansas City Star: “After one of their shows, an older woman
approached Dunlap and Stotts to say that the musical had expressed what had been in her head for decades.”

 

Lawrence Journal World 2013
Sep 2, 2013

REVIEW
Read the wonderful review of the Lawrence production in the Lawrence Journal World: “Dunlap and Stotts render an irreverent and sentimental, flawed and perfect, dirty and sweet look at what they call the world’s second-oldest profession.” “How do you describe “Mother%$!#hood” succinctly? Fun.”

FEATURE
The Lawrence Journal World looked at MotherF*ingHood in a fantastic feature on our Lawrence production. “Julie is a wonderful writer with a real Erma Bombeck quality,” (says Ric Averill, the Arts Center’s performing arts artistic director ) “We’re really pleased to be working with her.”