A new comedy about texts, treks, sex, and empty nests…

Written by Emmy and Peabody award-winner Jay Martel

Directed by Andy Fickman (Heathers The Musical, Reefer Madness).

About Parents in Chains

In PARENTS IN CHAINS, six L.A. parents exchange texts as their 17-year-old daughters drive home from a weekend in San Francisco during the approach of a hurricane. The trip and the inclement weather bring out both the best and the worst in the parents as they confront, as a group, as couples, and as individuals, what it means to let go of their kids. By turns viciously comic and poignant, PARENTS IN CHAINS is a valentine to the most difficult, most failure-prone job in the world…parenting.

THE CAST
March 12-16 Cast: Jorja Fox, Pete Gardner, Melora Hardin, Sharon Lawrence, Thomas Sadoski, Matt Walsh
March 18-23 Cast: Melora Hardin, Gildart Jackson, Sharon Lawrence, Joshua Malina, Gina Torres, James Urbaniak
March 25-30 Cast: John Ross Bowie, Rob Huebel, Sharon Lawrence, Loni Love, Jane Lynch, James Urbaniak

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE DIRECTOR
Fickman took time out of his schedule to answer a few of BroadwayWorld’s questions.

In your words, what is this show about?

Our show is about the most difficult task in the world…parenting. When I was a kid growing up in Texas, no event took place involving other kids until all the parents had had multiple phone calls mapping out how it would go down for us. Now…the phone call has been replaced by the immediate ease of texting…which can lose a lot in translation.

What drew you to the story?
When I read Jay Martel’s script I was hooked immediately. As the father of two, I found myself relating to almost every character’s POV. Good or bad. With each new bit of information added into the stew…the pot is stirred and stirred until it becomes somewhat unrecognizable…which is exactly what every parent deals with 24/7, no matter how fast their thumbs can text.

Tell me about the format: Is the whole thing told via text messages read out loud?
Yes the entire show is told via text messages read aloud…including every poorly placed emoji, bad spelling and autocorrect working against you…as you always hit “send” too soon. Followed by the endless waiting for a text response – phone calls, immediate answers – text messages…………………….

Give me a few examples of relatable parenting stories that will be told here.
Well, the biggest one is trust – as these parents must learn to trust their 17-year-old daughters on a road trip. Which is already a parent’s worst nightmare – how much freedom do you give them – how much tracking of their every move is allowed before it becomes stalking? Oh, also add a major storm brewing heading their way. With all that info or lack thereof, what decisions do you make on their behalf or – as is more often the case – your behalf. Letting go…is easier said than done.

Is this every parent’s eventual story (kids leaving the nest, etc)? Will parents relate? How about non-parents?
I think it’s a universal story – no matter how old we get, if we are blessed to still have our parents alive, aren’t we always still tied to them? I still call my Mom regularly, but according to her not regularly enough. If I go on a trip, I am still required to give my Mom all the information so she knows I am safe. Even though I am a grown-up. If there is any bad weather anywhere within a 5-state radius of where I am – she will check in to make sure I am okay. So whether you are a parent or not – the ties that bind us to our parents still remain. Also, Jay is an amazing writer, and the audience will love the journey he takes them on.

Runtime

Running Time: 75 Minutes

Age Recommendations

Rated G