Dada Woof, Papa Hot: Despite its awkward title, “Dada Woof, Papa Hot” a play by Peter Parnell and directed by Scott Ellis currently playing at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center, is a witty, charming and insightful look at the domestic lives of gay parents.
The play poses many intriguing questions. Is gay parenting different from straight parenting? Are the rules the same? How do generational attitudes impact these new family configurations? Tammy Blanchard, Patrick Breen, John Benjamin Hickey, Alex Hurt, Kellie Overbey, John Pankow, and Stephen Plunkett comprise the cast of this production, which opened November 9.
Alan and Rob, played by John Benjamin Hickey and Patrick Breen, are an older married couple with a three-year-old daughter and a life they fought for decades to be allowed to lead. But in the course of one school year, Alan, Rob and their friends struggle with what it means to be married with children at this head-spinning cultural moment. By turns comic and serious, DADA WOOF PAPA HOT describes the complex challenges of gay dads as they negotiate the issues of fidelity, break-ups, playdates and preschool.
With this play, Peter Parnell returns to LCT where his play QED, starring Alan Alda, enjoyed an extended run at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. He was a co-producer for The West Wing (two Emmy Awards), and a producer for The Guardian, Inconceivable, Six Degrees, and, most recently, The Lottery. He is the co-author of the award winning children’s book And Tango Makes Three.
Scott Ellis directed this season’s critically acclaimed Broadway productions of On the Twentieth Century, The Elephant Man, and You Can’t Take It With You (Tony Award nomination). He also received Tony Award nominations for his productions of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Curtains, Twelve Angry Men, 1776, Steel Pier, and She Loves Me. His other Broadway productions include Harvey, The Little Dog Laughed (Lucille Lortel Award nomination for its original Off-Broadway production), The Man Who Had All the Luck, The Rainmaker, Company, Picnic, and A Month in the Country. Off-Broadway he directed Tom Durnin; Gruesome Playground Injuries; Streamers; Good Boys, and True; The Waverly Gallery; Flora, the Red Menace (Drama Desk nomination); and and the World Goes ‘Round (Drama Desk Award). His television credits include “Weeds,” “30 Rock” (Emmy Award nomination for Best Director), “Modern Family,” and “The Good Wife.”
