{#Broadway Alert} Go see #MothersAndSons! @MothersSonsBway #Theatre

One of the best parts of being a born and raised New York City Girl is the Theatre. My mom loves Broadway and it's one of the first things she introduced me to. It's been a lifelong love ever since. While I have mixed feelings about Musicals (always have) - don't get me wrong I love Music and I love theatre, but have always had mixed feelings about folks breaking into song every few minutes. Thankfully over the years many have blown me away, but for me drama, (the non singing every two seconds kind), is very much what the theater is about for me.




I recently had the opportunity to enjoy Mothers and Sons while it was still in preview.

ABOUT:

The play centers on Katharine Gerard (portrayed by Tyne Daly), who pays an unexpected visit to the New York apartment of her late son's partner, who is now married to another man and has a young son. Katharine finds herself challenged to face how society has changed while generations collide as she revisits the past and begins to fully see the life her son led in spite of her disapproval.

CAST:

Katharine Gerard - Portrayed by Tyne Daly - She created this role in the world premiere of Mothers and Sons at Bucks County Playhouse and in 2011 was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. Her TV credits include Six nominations and FOUR Emmy Awards for Cagney & Lacey.

Cal Porter - Portrayed by Frederick Weller  - His Broadway credits include Glengarry Glen Ross, Take Me Out, Seascape, The Rehearsal, The Little Foxes and Six Degrees of Separation.

Will Ogden - Portrayed by Bobby Steggert - Like Tyne, he originated this role at Bucks County Playhouse, his Broadway credits also include: Big Fish, Ragtime, and 110 in the Shade.

Bud Ogden-Porter -  Portrayed by Grayson Taylor - is making his Broadway Debut in Mothers and Sons after originating the role of Bud at Bucks County Playhouse.

My Take:

The Golden Theater was actually just the perfect size, it lent enough intimacy to truly focus the audience right in on all the action. Katharine certainly shakes things up when she arrives suddenly at the home of her son's former partner, but in the process the layers slowly peel away leaving her exposed, revealing her vulnerability and at the core of it all is a Mother. A Mother who has lost her son. (it is revealed she has also lost her husband and is truly alone.) A Mother who lost the larger part of her son's adulthood because she couldn't accept his choices. It is a powerful story, one that to some degree is that much more powerful because the storyteller lived it. To help paint a clearer picture on the backstory, please read A Playwright's Status Report - McNally's 'Mothers and Sons' Gauges a Changed America By Patrick Healy of the New York Times.

The complex relationship between Mothers and Sons, what comprises a 'modern family', and the difficulties same-sex couples experience in society all make for a well written emotional rollercoaster where one moment the audience is laughing and then crying the next. It is moving and compelling and I urge you to see it!

Charitable Auction:

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids is currently taking bids for a chance to have drinks with Tyne Daly, Terrence McNally, Bobby Steggert and Frederick Weller after a performance of Mothers and Sons on Broadway via CharityBuzz.com.

For all my Butterflies out there who are Mothers how do you deal with decisions your adult children make that you do not agree with? Have you personally dealt with a parent who refused to accept your life choices? If so, how did you handle it?

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FTC Disclosure: Ascending Butterfly was provided Press Tickets to Mothers and Sons for editorial consideration. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure. All opinions are 100% my own! No monetary compensation has been exchanged!

The NEW Britax Baby Carrier, featuring the CarryLong System!

On my Press Junket to North Carolina in May, I got a chance to tour the BritaxUSA Headquarters (see some pics from my HQ tour HERE), and also got the chance to come home with a new Britax Baby Carrier! As you know, this butterfly is not yet a mom, but with a Mother Goose load gaggle of nieces, nephews and Godchildren at various ages I certainly feel like a parent! I've racked up too many 'cool Auntie' points to count, which is both good and bad because my name comes to mind first when it comes time for babysitting detail!

*Sister Butterfly* (names always hidden to protect the *innocent*), saw it and called 'Dibs' before I could even interject the carrier and the cute tote bag in came in were being bundled into the car! I can't say I mind because I called Dibs on the front seat for car rides all the time growing up and always got to it first and they had to put up with it because I'm the cutest, *ahem* I mean the youngest!

Before she even got home there was a voicemail from me reminding her that the price of taking the carrier meant I wanted her quotes for the review. I already knew she'd refuse me pictures, as you know my family has made it very clear they don't mind being the subject of stories as long as they are not named, and they also prohibited me pictures of any of the kids. (Out of fear of Butterfly Stalkers, LOL!)

So newest Nephew Butterfly has been enjoying trips to the Park, and the Zoo, and of course fun errands with mom in his new carrier. And Sis Butterfly told me the new carrier is a 5 out of a possible 5 butterflies. High praise indeed, and she has quite a few carriers under her belt (no pun intended).

She told me first and foremost that I must point out the fact that this carrier is PTPA endorsed, PTPA Media is the leading product awards program with the largest parent-testing community and seal of approval recognized worldwide. That means this carrier is 'Parent Tested and Parent Approved'. She researches all her purchases here, and her face definitely lit up when she saw the seal of approval on the box!

Britax Baby Carrier

Benefits Include

• CarryLongTM Weight Distribution System featuring contoured waist belt and padded shoulder straps for balanced weight distribution across shoulders, back and hips

• Bib

• Infant Insert

• Forward facing – inward carrying position

• Forward facing –outward carrying position

• Infant-to-toddler capacity <-Which means you won't need to buy another one when your infant reaches a certain weight!

• Made for Baby. Designed for You

• Built for Long-lasting back and shoulder comfort

Family Using Britax Baby Carriers

Just thought I'd point out, this is not Sister Butterfly, this photo was provided by Britax! 

You can also see it in action by checking out the video below: 

Living in the 'City that never sleeps' I can tell you that Carriers make it so much easier to get around, especially for quick errands! It gets crowded here, and having the ability to get around the City faster and easier is certainly a plus. The idea of dealing with a full stroller on the subway (especially right now in the summer) is a bit daunting, having the carrier makes it so much easier! But it's knowing that your baby will be BOTH Safe AND Comfortable that makes it worth it.


Get more information on Britax by following them on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. Si quieres más información en tu idioma, únete a su página de Facebook Britax Los Lleva Seguros y síguelos en Twitter @SafeConBritax

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FTC Disclosure: The Britax Hispanic Digital and Social Media Outreach is in partnership with Mami Innovative Media, a communications and digital marketing company that pairs multicultural and Latino bloggers with influential brands and blogging campaigns. I am a blogger brand ambassador for Britax and I am part of a long term campaign that does provide additional incentives for my participation. However all opinions are 100% my own. The baby carrier used in this review was provided by Britax USA. Questions about our Disclosure? Please visit: http://www.ascendingbutterfly.com/p/disclosure-policy.html

{Movie Reviews} Girl in Progress - in Theatres NOW!

It is Mother's Day Weekend Butterflies! Wishing all my butterfly mamas a very happy Mother's Day! I hope you made your restaurant reservations early, but if you didn't or are planning something more low key like a Movie, what better than a movie themed with Moms in mind!

I had the pleasure of attending a very intimate special screening of Girl in Progress, giving me the chance to catch up with some bloggers and editors that I know and meet some new ones and also check out a release that is hitting a theatre near you this weekend.

ABOUT GIRL IN PROGRESS:

Grace (Eva Mendes) in GIRL IN PROGRESS. Photo credit ©2011 Pantelion Films/Bob Akester

Grace (played by Eva Mendes) is a single mom. She is too busy juggling work,  bills, and the very married Dr. Hartford (played by Matthew Modine), to give  her daughter, Ansiedad (played by Cierra Ramirez) the attention she desperately needs. When Ansiedad's English teacher, Ms. Armstrong (played by Patricia Arquette), introduces her students to classic coming-of-age stories,  Ansiedad is inspired to skip adolescence and jump-start her life without mom. While Grace becomes preoccupied with the increasing affections of her co-worker (played by Eugenio Derbez), Ansiedad enlists the help of her loyal friend, Tavita (played by Raini Rodriguez), to plot her  shortcut to "adulthood". But as her misguided plan unravels, Ansiedad and Grace must learn that sometimes growing-up means acting your age.

Grace (Eva Mendes) and Ansiedad (Cierra Ramirez) in GIRL IN PROGRESS. Photo credit ©2011 Pantelion Films/Bob Akester

Distributor: Pantelion Films 
Cast: Eva Mendes, Matthew Modine, Cierra Ramirez, Raini Rodriguez
Director: Patricia Riggen 
Running time: 90 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic elements, sexual content including crude references, and drinking – all involving teens.
Release Date: May 11, 2012

Dr. Hartford (Matthew Modine) and Grace (Eva Mendes) in GIRL IN PROGRESS. Photo credit ©2011 Pantelion Films/Bob Akester

My Take:

The relationship between a Mother and Daughter is a complex one, it evolves with each stage of your child's life and growing up. The movie delves into those critical years where a young teen is struggling with her identity, struggling to be the total opposite of her mom (because at that age, no one thinks it's cool to be like their parents), and the process of learning that life is really in the journey and not the destination so don't try so hard to move it ahead too quickly.

There are some cons for me, the main one is that Eva's character Grace is having an affair with a married man. I don't condone it, and as a Latina I of course wonder why this was put in there. Couldn't Grace be a bit immature, or a struggling single mom of a teenage daughter without having to have an affair with a Married Man? It just felt to stereotypical for me. Yes I know women of all races are capable of this behavior, but why did it have to be this one?

Second, the underage drinking which I also know is really happening out there, so if you want to look at it as a reflection of what is going on in some homes, then it's accurate, but I personally didn't feel so comfortable with that. If you are going to see this with a teen, use that scene as a discussion point after the movie and use it as an opportunity to re-iterate to your child what your stance is on drinking as a whole and on under-age drinking especially.

Now that being said, it was well cast and the daughter, Ansiedad, portrayed by Cierra Ramirez was definitely a stand out first performance from a break out young star in the making! Her best friend Tavita played by Raini Rodriguez (sister of Rico Rodriguez, who portrays Manny on the popular ABC Television Series Modern Family), was also a dynamic performance.

Ansiedad (Cierra Ramirez) and Mission Impossible (Eugenio Derbez) in GIRL IN PROGRESS. Photo credit ©2011 Pantelion Films/Bob Akester

Eugenio Derbez, who plays Grace's co-worker, called 'Mission Impossible' by his co-workers at the restaurant where they work also gave a great performance in this movie, if you haven't already seen it, he was also fantastic in the movie 'Under the Same Moon', He was also in Adam Sandler's Jack and Jill, he is unquestionably one of Mexico's best-known actors, the most recognized actor among the Spanish-speaking population in the United States and I'm happy to see him breaking ground in the mainstream US market too.

If you decide to take in this movie, please come back here and let us know what YOU think!

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FTC Disclosure: I was invited to attend a private screening of Girl in Progress, food & beverages and a lovely gift bag were provided to guests. However, all opinions regarding this film are 100% my own. Questions about our Disclosure? Please visit: http://www.ascendingbutterfly.com/p/disclosure-policy.html

Rated P For Parenthood @RatedPMusical {Theatre Review}

There is a new musical playing at Broadway's Westside Theatre in New York City. Rated P For Parenthood made it's New York Premiere at the Westside Theatre off Broadway on February 8th with the official opening held February 26th. I had the opportunity to preview it last week and really enjoyed the mix of music, comedy, and how it captured the good, the bad and the ugly of parenting from a variety of perspectives.

Rated P For Parenthood Entire Cast in Delivery Vignette

The show, which features book and lyrics by Sandy Rustin and music and lyrics by Dan Lipton and David Rossmer has a unique take on parenting from conception to college. With a four person cast carrying the 90 minute show, it's a fast paced ride that shares both the joys and pains of parenthood.  The cast features Courtney Balan (who has played in I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change), Chris Hoch (who has played in Broadway's La Cage Aux Folles 2010 Revival), David Josefsberg (who has played in Broadway's The Wedding Singer) and Joanna Young (who played in Broadway's The Drowsy Chaperone). Director Jeremy Dobrish and Choreographer Rachel Bress keep a brisk and enjoyable pace to the vignette performances that keeps the audience engaged all the way through.

Butterflies you all know I'm not yet a mom, but this play isn't restricted to parents only despite the Parenthood title! I found it sometimes funny, sometimes touching and constantly engaging and entertaining, in fact I went to see it with my mom, and if you get the chance I'd advise you to do the same. Be it your mom, spouse or your bestie, I'm sure you'll be poking each other in the ribs and laughing together in no time! There are so many relatable moments. Some stand out vignettes included a total hysterical performance of Dad's perspective on taking the kids up to summer camp (no spoilers, but it's super funny and I won't say why), a mom up late because of her crying baby (touching), Dads waiting for their childrens Parent/Teacher conference (funny!), and very funny bit about moms and their childrens soccer coach. Again no spoilers, but those were definitely stand out performances.

Rated P for Parenthood Entire Cast in Summer Camp Vignette

While I'm not sure I'll ever be ready for Destination Parenthood, this play certainly chronicles the journey well! I definitely recommend it!

“Rated P for Parenthood” is currently running at the Westside Theatre (for an open ended run so I'm thinking it's the PERFECT Mother's Day or Father's Day gift for your mom or dad), the theatre is located at 407 W. 43rd St., New York. Call (212) 239-6200 or visit www.ratedpthemusical.com. You can also get social with Rated P for Parenthood on Facebook as well as Twitter.

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FTC Disclosure: I was provided with tickets to this play as a member of the Digital press, no additional compensation has been received. All opinions are 100% my own. I was under no obligation to post.