Celebrate Mother's Day: Broadway Edition With Hurder, Blackman, Feldshuh, Wolfe & Williams!

Happy Mother's Day! Today is the day we celebrate the mother figures in our life, and BroadwayWorld is celebrating some of our favorie Broadway moms!

See what Robyn Hurder, NaTasha Yvette Williams, Tovah Feldshuh, Jewelle Blackman, and Betsy Wolfe have to say about their experiences of being a mom in the world of theatre, what showtunes they sing to their kids, and more!

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Robyn Hurder

How has being a mother impacted the way that you approach your life in the theatre?

Before I became a mother, being in a show was my life. Everything revolved around it. It was the primary focus. I thought that was my soul purpose for existing. Once I had Hudson, everything changed. We became a family, (our "triangle" as we like to call it) and I realized very quickly that THAT was my purpose. To be a mother and a wife and experience life through my family's eyes. Being in the theater is my passion and I am so grateful I get to do a job that I love so much, but it is just that now. A job. It's something that I cannot live without, but I'm not defined by it.

How do you balance a Broadway schedule with family time?

Balance is the word of the day, every day. Some days I think I'm winning, some days not so much. Monday's are our family day, naturally. I try my best to make them off limits to the business, but there are certain seasons where there is a wave (career wise) and you just gotta ride it. Anytime I am not performing in the show, I will dedicate that time to my family. Now that my husband Clyde is across the street performing in New York New York, things have gotten even trickier with the balance, along with our son having a pretty extensive soccer schedule. I've had a sort of mantra since becoming a mother : Take it one moment at a time. And then that moment will pass. This is only temporary. Remain present. Lead with love.

What's the first showtune you sang to your child?

I'm actually not big on singing showtunes to him (hilarious)....but I am a jazz nut and love singing to him classic standards. The first song I ever sang to Hudson when he was born was "How Deep Is The Ocean" by Irving Berlin and I still do to this day. 9 years later, the minute I start to sing "how much do I love you" I see his eyelids start to get heavy. It's the cutest thing.

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NaTasha Yvette Williams

How has being a mother impacted the way that you approach your life in the theatre?

Being a mother drives almost everything I do. I choose roles and projects that add to my life and to the community. My profession will no doubt take me away from my family during family time, bedtimes, special events etc., so it has to be worth it. Theater and I have chosen each other. And I am blessed to be a Mom. I hope my career teaches my children to be committed to something bigger than themselves and follow their dreams because nothing is out of reach!

How do you balance a Broadway schedule with family time?

I am constantly trying to balance family time with my career. I am not always successful. But my husband Gregory Lee and I work together with sitters and care givers to ensure quality moments for each of us. My village is made up of so many supporters, friends and family. They all help to make this work.

What's the first showtune you sang to your child?

I was pregnant during a run of Hairspray at Papermill Playhouse. In the womb I sang that soundtrack to them and around them all the time. But once they were born, the first song was "Somebody Gonna Love You" from The Color Purple.

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Tovah Feldshuh

How has being a mother impacted the way that you approach your life in the theatre?

In my family, if you couldn't bring up your children, my mother would flick her right hand off her left shoulder and say, "You're a flea." One of the most beautiful things about bearing and raising children is that one loves them above and beyond all else. Unless you're cuckoo, you love your children unconditionally. In my case, that meant loving my children not just next to, but above and beyond even my life's work. To preserve and protect my young was a primal and primary instinct once I became a mother. I remember when I married, I thought to myself, I have joined the human race, and when I gave birth, I said, "I have joined the worldwide bond of motherhood of all living creatures."

Before I had children, "I was my work." I defined myself by each job and a bar of excellence for which I constantly reached. I still reach for that bar of excellence, but silhouetted behind it, is a looming work of art called Brandon, Amanda, their spouses, Jami and Joel, and my beloved grandchildren. There is also a portrait above all of those loved ones of my husband of 46 years, Andrew Harris Levy. I always believed that all that mattered in life was love and work. As I approach this third of my four-act life, I realize, all that matters in life is love because from love, all else comes.

How do you balance a Broadway schedule with family time?

First of all, you better have a very understanding family! When I was offered the national tour of Golda's Balcony, I turned it down because my youngest child was applying to college and I was not going to leave her in her 11th and 12th grade years. Now, with the children grown and having children of their own (making Andrew and I besotted grandparents), the first thing I do when I'm ensconced in a Broadway run, such as Funny Girl, is to ask my husband, Andrew, what he would like to do when I have time off on Sunday night and Monday. Even at this stage of my life, I am still multitasking.

My jobs entail maintaining a loving marriage, running an efficient and high-functioning home, and being, hopefully, through-the-roof excellent when I perform. I am happy to say Andrew and I are in that golden moment where we are healthy and ever happy with our immediate family of 10. We are fortunate to have devoted children, kind in-laws, and, of course, spectacular grandchildren. For Mother's Day, we will be having a morning picnic in one of the NYC parks before my two-show day... OY, I can't wait!

What's the first showtune you sang to your child?

"Neverland" from Peter Pan. That song embodies hope, adventure, and joyous longevity. "Neverland" invites us to meet our lives with a child's heart.

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Jewelle Blackman

How has being a mother impacted the way that you approach your life in the theatre?

First off life in theatre is hard regardless if you're a parent or not. The kind of time and sacrifices that you continually have to give and make in order to do what you love is a constant battle. But we do it because there is nothing else we'd rather do. That being said becoming a mother while in this biz has definitely begun to inform what contracts I take and which ones I even consider auditioning for. Yes I love what I do, but my son reminds me that there is so much more to life than just that.

How do you balance a Broadway schedule with family time?

For me since my son is in another country, luckily a close one.... I'm able to catch an hour flight back to see him on my day off which I do every couple weeks to 3 weeks. Most of my vacation time is spent with him and he comes and stays with me for periods of time throughout the year.

What's the first showtune you sang to your child?

Now this is hard....I really don't remember but I remember one afternoon while I was feeding him lunch around 2 years old we did a vocal warmup together... and he amazed me because he sang back every exercise in perfect pitch and rhythm.

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Betsy Wolfe

How has being a mother impacted the way that you approach your life in the theatre?

For me, it's mom first, actor second, and I genuinely feel more empowered. My "no, I cant take that on" is because I want to spend time with my daughter, so my "yes" to & Juliet (or as Poppy calls it, "Anne Juliet") as my first show coming out of COVID was because I knew it would make me feel more "whole," and it would have a positive effect on my motherhood. I fell in love with the empowering story and I am seeing her fall in love with it too, which is so special, even if she wants to FaceTime with Lorna (Courtney) more than with me!

How do you balance a Broadway schedule with family time?

Performing 8 shows a week isn't what I would call a "family friendly" schedule, especially with a partner who works a 9-5. So our quality family time happens with a lot of creative scheduling sprinkled in with the ever-so-predictable unpredictability of what comes along in this business (and, you know, life). We prioritize family time over everything because it makes us thrive.

What's the first showtune you sang to your child?

I sang Come Rain or Come Shine to her a lot (that's gotta be in a musical right?), and the first one she fell in love (read: started asking for over and over) was So Long, Farewell. Very soon after she starting pretending to be Brigitta. Send help.