Review: Authenticity Reigns Supreme in MOM BABY GOD at Taffety Punk Theatre Company

Inspired by real people and events, Madeline Joey Rose's solo play Mom Baby God, directed by Taffety Punk Company Member Lise Bruneau, gives us a front row seat at a Students for Life of America conference. Here, Pro-Life teens learn a variety of skills, including how to counsel young people about to enter a Planned Parenthood facility. The adult instructors also educate their young impressionable minds on the importance of remaining sexually pure until marriage. Destinee Grace Ramsey (Madeline Joey Rose), a passionate activist even at age fourteen, documents the conference on her Instagram and serves as our guide. The cause is especially personal to her because as an adoptee she's been told she was saved from abortion. Her grandmother (who adopted her) runs a pregnancy resource center so it's a family effort. At the same time, she's a typical teen. She loves social media and Justin Bieber. (Kenny Neal gives a nod to this in his sound design, which also incorporates snippets of the stereotypical bubblegum variety of Contemporary Christian Music.)

The only difference is that she doesn't use her social media accounts to talk about the latest fashion trends or whatever. She's a whiz at using these platforms for advocacy. Her YouTube channel is a hit among her age group, including John Paul and other members of the popular band "Praise Crew." She's elated when he asks her to join the crew's Instagram takeover.

This conference is particularly important to her for two other reasons (beyond, you know, meeting the adorable John Paul): she's organized the first ever slumber party, which will allow her fellow teen girls to talk about issues important to them. She'll also find out if she's won the Lila Rose Fellowship, named after a (real life) activist (depicted in a large poster designed by Crista Noel Smith) who is no longer welcome at any Planned Parenthood due to well-known her antics. She's convinced she has a real shot at the funding thanks to her video essay, which shares her own story and her ongoing efforts at her public school to convince her fellow students of the validity of her views with cupcakes. Things are going along quite well for Destinee until the slumber party. Something unthinkable (to Destinee, at least) happens. The effects bleed over the next day at rally at which the teens are supposed to put their newly learned skills to use.

Madeline Joey Rose's solid research and attention to detail set her solo play apart from the myriad of others that have tried to introduce typical theatergoers to cultures (especially religious ones) that might be less familiar to them. While I am certainly not a teenage girl in 2020 and, in my day, we did not have Instagram, her language - honed through extensive research, including going undercover at similar gatherings - rings authentic to my ears. Why? I grew up in heavily immersed in an Independent Fundamental Baptist Church in the 1980s and 1990s. While I was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a teen activist as depicted here, even accounting for considerable changes in the movement since then, much of the language and viewpoints about sexual purity and abortion are very familiar to me.

If I were to offer one criticism of the script, I would suggest that there's simply too much of it. She tries to cover too much ground with too many characters. Several of the supporting characters are very interesting though, including Trish, who doesn't sound like the others. (Here, Madeline briefly touches on the intersection between some members of this movement and the ethno-nationalist movement.) Still, her exceptional acting skills, including the ability to make one character distinct from another, and obvious passion for the subject matter help her rise above this weakness. If this script is developed further though, she might focus it a bit more. Technical improvements - including ensuring we can always see the actress (Chris Curtis did the lighting design) and making the projections (Patrick Lord) larger, clearer, and easier to read - will also make the viewing experience better.

Running Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes with no intermission.

MOM BABY GOD plays at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop - 545 7th St, SE in Washington, DC - through March 10, 2018. Tickets can be purchased on the Taffety Punk Theatre Company website.

Photo Credit: Madeline Joey Rose as Destinee in MOM BABY GOD. Photo by Teresa Castracane.

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