Mr. Parent

Summary

A struggling actor turns to teaching for a steady paycheck, thinking “how hard could it be?” But as he careens from the Boston Public Schools by day to serious thespian at night, Mr. Parent starts to wonder where he really belongs. Based on the stories and real-life adventures of Lyric Stage favorite, Maurice Emmanuel Parent, Mr. Parent is a deeply felt and hilarious solo performance about crushingly inequitable systems, the brilliance of every kid, and how we might all find the space to be ourselves.

Press & Reviews

“The story reflects chapters in five years of my real life,” says Parent. “The hope is that everyone will recognize those good days, and other days when you are scared, functioning, but not happy.”

The team that put ‘Mr. Parent’ in a class, by himself | Terry Byrne | The Boston Globe

“All of our choices as residents of this state, we are all part of the education system of our young people,” says Parent. “It’s super important that we know how our system is working.”

Open enrollment at Lyric Stage | Celina Colby | The Bay State Banner

“It adds up to a moving, sometimes funny account of what it takes to be a teacher, what it takes to fulfill your ambitions in the theater, and what it takes build a life. A strength of “Mr. Parent” is that it doesn’t try to downplay the tradeoffs involved in that juggling act or tidily resolve its inherent tensions.”

Lasting Lessons in Lyric Stage’s ‘Mr. Parent’ | Don Aucoin | The Boston Globe

“Sure, the memories of the kids and his journey are funny, painful, and enlightening. But Parent’s acute awareness of the indelible mark those students have left on his heart and spirit and what he does with all that he’s learned about himself and the world is even more notable and enduring.”

At Lyric Stage Company, ‘Mr. Parent’ has lessons to teach that go well beyond the classroom | Jacquinn Sinclair | WBUR

“This is, in fact, a wonderful way to spend 90 minutes thanks to a finely tuned script by Melinda Lopez and the charismatic autobiographical performance by Maurice Emmanuel Parent.”

“Mr. Parent” – By Melinda Lopez – Lyric Stage Company (Boston, Ma.) – Review | METRMag | Kevin T. Baldwin

“This is a very raw one-man performance, a raw reconciliation, actually, from Parent, who is absorbing the problems plaguing an urban school and its overlooked population.”
Arts This Week: Reviewing Boston schools through theater | WGBH | Jared Bowen

“MR. PARENT is a world premiere now playing at The Lyric Stage and it is a MUST SEE–crucial viewing. But its Parent’s vulnerability, his rooting himself in the present moment, the truth telling onstage which distinguishes the best actors; that’s what gripped me here and must have gripped his students too.”

Theatre: Mr. Parent/Pretty Woman | Joyce’s Choices | Joyce Kulhawik

“Within a colorful and empty classroom by Cristina Todesco, the aptly-named Mr. Parent manages to cover a great deal in its limited time frame from the state education system to struggling families to struggling teachers to desegregation during a pivotal time in Mr. Parent’s life approached with the kind of heart and humor that comes from experience. Inspirational, educational, and complex, Mr. Parent also begs a significant question that many people face every day: How do I pursue my passion while still making a decent living?”

Lyric Stage Company’s heartfelt and semi-interactive ‘Mr. Parent’ a life-changing journey | The Sleepless Critic | Jeanne Denizard