Unless you’ve got a brat (sorry, child) of your own, there’s little reason to see this comedic musical revue. But for moms and dads who’ve preferably had a cocktail or three before curtain, Rated P for Parenthood is a mildly pleasant surprise, like when your straight-C student somehow scores a B on a midterm.
The talented cast of four—Chris Hoch, David Josefsberg, Joanna Young and standout Courtney Balan—sing and shtick their way through a variety of superficial sketches, scenes and songs about modern parenting problems. Except for one gay couple and a single mom, all of these folks are straight, white and married with upper-middle-class woes: stressful school admissions, competitive parenting and so forth.
Unlike the recent crop of other parenting shows, Rated P is relatively short on schmaltz, and Jeremy Dobrish’s brisk direction means the gags keep coming quickly. Aside from the inevitable white-guy rap number, nothing here is too embarrassing. In fact, a few of the bits are pretty funny, especially “Wild Romance,” a rockin’ ode to getting it on when the kids are away, and the hysterical “Driving in D Minor,” about an anxious mom riding next to her teen son driver. Is the show challenging? Nope. But when you’ve got a six-year-old going on 16 at home, the last thing you want is a demanding night out.—Raven Snook