REVIEW: Most of My Moms Are Gay, Abby Goldfarb, EdFringe 2026 ★★

Most of Abby Goldfarb’s mothers are gay. An intriguing premise given most of us don’t have enough mothers to have any ‘most of’ statistic. However, whilst the performer and subject of the show is a vocal powerhouse, the comedy is disappointingly tone-deaf.

What is it like to grow up in a so-called unconventional family, with a family friend as the sperm donor and five mother figures in the mix? It’s a question worth exploring, and an exciting concept to do so through a one-woman musical.

During a time when the hard-won rights of LGBTQ+ people are under attack, and, in some cases, being rolled back, this show could have been an essential piece of activism or, at the very least, an hour of comic relief. Instead, it portrays a straight woman as the victim for having grown up with gay parents and in no way acknowledges the societal context of the story being told.

Goldfarb doesn’t seem to have bad intentions; she’s telling her life story through song with brief monologues in-between to tie everything together. Covering an entire life in 50 minutes is a challenge for sure, but in this case means any nuance or context that may have saved this show is lost.

What we are left with seems to be the suggestion that Goldfarb’s unconventional conception and eccentric lesbian mother (we are only properly introduced to one of the four) lead to her feeling like there wasn’t enough space for her at home growing up and, as a result, developing OCD.

Queer characters, be they real people or fictional, need not be good parents or even good people. However, apparently it must be pointed out that your sexuality itself has little bearing on whether or not you are a good person or parent, and that if growing up with queer parents was harder, at least some of that will have been due to societal stigma rather than queerness itself.

The lack of nuance in Most of My Moms Are Gay fails to acknowledge any of this. As a result, the message seems to be that any and all issues are directly linked if not caused by Goldfarb’s mothers’ sexuality.

There is also a song about coming out as straight which could have been funny but, as things stand, comes across like an anthem for the people who complain that there isn’t a straight pride. In combination with a later song about how calm and lovely Goldfarb’s heterosexual marriage is, the show’s point of view seems to be that queer equals chaos equals bad, whereas straight is normal and therefore good.

At another point, Goldfarb talks about her Jewish identity and mentions her birthright trip to Israel. Before finishing the name, she hesitates, then corrects herself to Ireland. Of course, no Jewish person is obligated to comment on or unpack the situation in Israel, but given the gravity of the context, it deserves more than a half-hearted joke.

It did genuinely feel as if none of these offences were caused on purpose, but Goldfarb’s failure is not looking at the bigger picture and understanding her own privilege. Unfortunately, being a woman in musical theatre doesn’t automatically make you a safe space for the gays and theys, and apparently growing up with mostly gay mothers doesn’t prevent you from writing a musical with homophobic undertones.

Perhaps by digging deeper, finding nuance and examining the wider societal context of her story Goldfarb could make this show the heartfelt and inclusive piece I hope she intended it to be.

Recommended Drink: A pint of water with ice – the performance space is hot af. If nothing else, Goldfarb deserves a round of applause for singing in what is essentially a sauna.

You can catch Most of My Moms Are Gay at Sprout Studio at Greenside @ George Street from August 7 – 29 (not 16 & 23) at 18:25 (50 minutes). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Box Office.