Lisa Ramirez, Writer and Performer of Exit Cuckoo
I recently went to see the play called Exit Cuckoo. I found it to be smart and hilarious. Lisa Ramirez does a spectacular job of orchestrating this one women show. As the writer and actress of Exit Cuckoo, I was impressed at how she jumped in and out of playing nannies and moms. She even played a grandma, a nanny recruiter and a group therapist. With each character she transformed so effortlessly , weaving a storyline with profound character development and multi-layered plots. This was a unique look into the life of all characters that revolve around one common denominator: the child that is being cared for. I haven't had much experience using a nanny, but I always wondered how nannies secretly felt about the moms they work for and vice-versa. I definitely recommend going to see this!
Hip Slope Mama readers get to win tickets to Exit Cuckoo just by subscribing to Hip Slope Mama by e-mail by May 12th! All current e-mail subscribers are automatically entered to win. Also, please leave a comment on this post about your experience (good or bad) as a nanny or as a mom who has used a nanny. We'd love to hear from you! Contest ends May 12, 2009 at midnight. The winner will be advised by e-mail on May 13th. The winning tickets can ONLY be used for performances scheduled for either May 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th or 17th.
At once a comedy and commentary on a particular slice of city life, EXIT CUCKOO is based on Ms. Ramirez's own experiences as a nanny, and springs from her observations that, given the international backgrounds of many nannies in New York, "The park is like the United Nations, and the benches are spread out like countries. If you sit on a park bench long enough, a woman will talk."
As such, EXIT CUCKOO is an honest and humorous look at the uncommon lives of a seemingly invisible, voiceless class of workers most often distinguished in New York by the strollers they push. The play paints a portrait of the complex chemistry of nannies and the mothers who hire them—from the hours they work to what they wear, from racism, class-consciousness and feelings of second-class citizenship to, ultimately, how children are raised. Along the way, EXIT CUCKOO considers, too, how a nannies' work affects their own families' lives.
Lisa Ramirez came to New York eight years ago to pursue a career as an actress. By her own admission a failed waitress, she took work as a nanny and has gone from the feeling that the world had come to an end, to discovering that life as a nanny was "the best thing that ever happened to me."
Since the company was founded in 1985, Working Theater's mission has been to produce new plays for and about working people.
EXIT CUCKOO runs April 17-May 17, 2009 at Theatre Row's Clurman Theatre (410 West 42nd Street); Tuesdays at 7pm; Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8pm; Saturdays at 2pm and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are $25. For reservations, contact www.ticketcentral.com or call 212-279-4200.
FOR LISTINGS, PLEASE NOTE TUESDAY PERFORMANCES ARE NOW AT 7PM
For more information about Working Theater and EXIT CUCKOO, visit www.theworkingtheater.org.
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