“It’s heartbreaking, messy, complicated, hilarious and sometimes disgusting,” says McLean resident Kathleen Gordon. If you haven’t guessed, she’s talking about motherhood—a topic she tackled last summer in a short monologue at Rosslyn’s Spectrum Theatre for Listen To Your Mother (LTYM). Founded by writer Ann Imig in 2010, the nationwide series of live readings features people in various cities telling true stories about moms—some funny, some poignant or tragic.
Prior to her six minutes of fame, Gordon, an attorney, had never performed in front of an audience, though she blogged for fun and had friends who’d previously participated in LTYM and raved about the experience. She admits to having some qualms about airing her personal tales of birds-and-the-bees talks—and the time her elderly mom accidentally viewed some porn during a hotel stay—but ultimately decided to go for it, with humor and candor. “They’re either going to think I’m a weird pervert or that it’s really fun,” Gordon remembers thinking as she took the stage to audition. “I figured it was a good sign when they were wiping their eyes from laughing.”
Listen To Your Mother returns to Rosslyn’s Spectrum Theatre on May 7. www.Listentoyourmothershow.com