STAGE REVIEWS : Grody’s ‘Mom’ Old News for Parents

“How ironic it is that so many people think life with children is predictable and undramatic,” wrote Kathryn Grody in her book “A Mom’s Life,” reflecting on a particularly fiery outburst of sibling rivalry between Isaac, 7, and Gideon, 2. “This is theater worthy of any Greek tragedy I have seen.”

Thus inspired, Grody fashioned her own one-woman show out of her experiences as a contemporary Manhattan full-time mom. It’s now at the Tiffany Theater.

Unfortunately, by the time Grody re-creates this particular dispute, it’s much more predictable than she imagines. It’s clear that these two kids are quite willing to manipulate their mom to their own ends. While this may shock the childless, it will strike most parents as old news.

Grody’s piece is essentially a diary of one day in the life of her family, with one important character--her husband, actor Mandy Patinkin--largely absent from the scene. She precedes and interrupts the stream of events with her own ruminations and a few memories of prior events, but the point of it is to dwell on the diurnal, not to chart the cosmic forces that clash in Greek tragedy.

Furthermore, there isn’t much self-revelation or catharsis. Grody is aware of her own worst tendencies as a mother--her discipline is less than consistent--from the beginning. She loses all composure by the end of the day, but she quickly regains it, and her temporary breakdown won’t matter much in the long run. We sense that tomorrow won’t be very different from today.

Of course, “A Mom’s Life” really shouldn’t be compared to Greek tragedy. Grody’s text has a few amusing moments, which is perhaps all we should expect. But they’re as amusing in print as they are in the theater--maybe more so--and it’s not clear why Grody felt compelled to put her show on a stage.

The best answer may be that she is a trained actress, and she wanted to exercise her profession, on her own terms, after being a self-imprisoned mom for so long. She certainly gets a workout; it’s a very physical solo, enacted all over James Youmans’ crisp and primary-colorful set.

But Grody is much better at playing herself than she is at playing her sons. Their voices and mannerisms fall back on stereotypes that don’t seem all that distinguishable from each other.

Likewise, Grody is much more adept at portraying the low points of the day than the high points. The childless might even interpret “A Mom’s Life” as an incentive to use birth control, for this mom’s life looks none too inviting. The ineffable rewards of parenthood are talked about, but they’re not fully felt in theatrical terms; we’re simply supposed to take Grody’s word that they’re there, somewhere between the anxieties and the aggravations.