Living and Performing ‘Mom’s Life’

The lot of a modern mother, says Kathryn Grody, is woefully underappreciated.

“The major shock to me was the bias against moms and children,� says the New York-based actress, whose solo show, “A Mom’s Life,� is currently playing at the Tiffany Theatre. “People say, ‘Are you working now, or staying home and playing with the kids?’ �

In her play, Grody “tries to show what the average day with a child is like, the ambivalence it brings out in you: love, joy, frustration, fear.�

The piece, which originated in New York two years ago, is a very personal glimpse inside the lives of Grody, actor-husband Mandy Patinkin and their two sons, Isaac, 9, and Gideon, 5. “When we decided to have a baby, I had a very clear idea how it would work,� she says wryly. “I had no knowledge that I’d be an obsessive mother.�

Grody, who hooked up with Patinkin on- and off-stage in 1978, says the family’s life style is definitely low-key. “I don’t think we consider ourselves a celebrity couple,� demurs the Obie-winning actress, who co-starred in the 1990 film “The Lemon Sisters� with Diane Keaton and Carol Kane. “His kind of celebrity isn’t the kind where you can’t go anywhere. Sure, sometimes people recognize him on the street. Sometimes they confuse him with Kevin Kline.�