By Audrey Levine Staff Writer
HILLSBOROUGH — One night, Dana Covey, of Manhattan, listened to her son as he told her about his day in nursery school and pictures he had looked at of New York City, as it was 100 years ago.
He then turned to her and said, “Mommy, was that when you were a little girl?”
From this innocent question came the birth of a comedy routine, called “Momsense,” which featured four Manhattan mothers who could turn the topic of motherhood into a satiric performance.
The show’s 2007 reincarnation, “Moms the Word,” will be performed for guests at Temple Beth El, on Route 206, at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13.
”It is a musical comedy about the challenges of motherhood,” said Ms. Covey, who, with New York-based Amy Mandelbaum and Erika Radin, performs songs catered to being a mom. “The three performers and creators are moms, each with two children ages 10 and under, and our daily lives with our children provide endless fodder, inspiration and material for our show.”
The show, Ms. Covey said, covers a wide range of parenting topics, such as whining and sibling rivalry; drama queen daughters; the gross behaviors of sons; and freaking out over the first signs of puberty, among other topics.
”We keep adding new songs as we confront new issues in our own lives,” she said.
According to Ms. Covey, the performers take already popular songs and change the lyrics, and sometimes the titles, to cater to different events in their lives. For example, she said, they have turned Abba’s “Dancing Queen” into “Drama Queen” to discuss life with daughters.
Other songs, like Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and “Look at Me” from the movie “Grease,” retain their titles and take on different lyrics to reflect the trials of finding babysitters and changing appearances after having a baby, Ms. Covey said.
”One time, Amy called me during a long winter break vacation and said she was hiding in her laundry room, even though she didn’t have any laundry, because she just needed to get away from her kids after being with them for so many days,” Ms. Covey said. “I immediately thought that was a song topic, but we switched it to the bathroom because some of us are city dwellers and don’t have laundry rooms. The song turned into ‘Sound of Silence,’ by Simon & Garfunkle, about hiding in your bathroom to get away from your kids.”
”Momsense” began in 2000, Ms. Covey said, with four Manhattan-based mothers who created the one-night show and donated money from a cover charge to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation. They were then invited to perform at a nursery school in Westchester, then Mamaroneck and New Rochelle.
”That’s how it all got started,” she said. “We started performing across the tri-state, completely due to word of mouth.”
According to Ms. Covey, the show is generally booked through word of mouth, so she assumed that someone at Temple Beth El saw the show and decided to try and book them in Hillsborough.
”We enjoy performing for audiences everywhere,” she said. “No matter where we perform (and who we perform for) church, synagogue, city, suburbs, nursery school parents or high school parents everyone seems to relate to the material and enjoy it. Most people say to us afterwards, ‘that was my life on stage.’”
Ms. Covey said that “Moms the Word” was started in January 2007 when the performers decided it was time to retire “Momsense.” She said the newest show features herself and another member from the previous show, in addition to a new performer.
”We felt that show had run its course, so we changed the cast a bit and started writing new material, and we think this show is even funnier, digs a little deeper and is more musically challenging,” she said. “The musical styles range from Motown to Beatles to disco to Grateful Dead to pop.”
With the mixture of personal anecdotes and familiar parenting issues, Ms. Covey said the show is something all guests can relate to and enjoy.
”Especially for moms, it’s nice to see some of the stuff that secretly drives us nuts examined on stage,” she said. “It’s a relief to know you’re not the only one dealing with certain issues at home. The show is a satire, but there is a truth in all of it, and it still has an underlying theme that we wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Tickets for the performance are $30 in advance and $40 at the door. Reservations should be received by Nov. 11.
For more information, contact Simona Rivkin at 908-369-7884.

