Grindr Mom

Waterloo East Theatre

Playing until 1st March 2026

{PPR Gifted ticket}

Just a regular republican Mormon mom, our protagonist (Jessica Martin) appears to have accepted the fact that her son is gay. She has always had some underlying discomfort with her son’s sexuality, but above that, she is adamant her husband would not be as liberal and would tear the family apart should he finds out. After realising that her son met his partner on Grindr, she is intrigued by this dating app and what it is actually all about.

Ronnie Larson’s script promises a harmless and silly premise and misadventure, and takes us on a ride that turns out to be a journey of self-discovery for this mom. Stretching beyond simply young people who are not openly gay, but also to the married and older generation that has settled into a role that they were given. The script navigates the sensitivity of all this through the eyes of a naïve mother who, despite having a gay son, had remained oblivious to her surrounds. This also highlights the fact that even in this day and age in the western society, there are still places where homosexuality and sex are spoken to hushed tones.

Unfortunately, the first third of the play is filled to the brim with what I could only describe as filler buster of the mom’s life without making much progress. Presented as a monologue by Martin, Larson’s script definitely lets our protagonist stew and lament over all the things she wanted from her son, a republican heterosexual son who would be a devout Mormon that would go on missions and give her a handful of biological grandchildren. This rather long “introduction” that stretches 25-30 minutes could be significantly shortened and refined to deliver the exact same message in half the time.

While the story gains momentum after mom downloads Grindr and begins to discover that gay people is more common that she believed, it does take its sweet time to get there. However, once the Grindr floodgate was opened, the tone of the whole play direct by Gerald Armin shifts, becoming more vibrant and flirtatious as the mom effectively “catfishes” the gay men in her neighbourhood.

The play makes a valiant attempt at telling a meaningful story, revealing the underbelly of the LGBTQ+ world through humour and playfulness, one that calls for discreetness to protect the people who are not out to their family. However, it also reveals the danger of the fact that we never know who is on the other side of the screen, well intentioned or malevolent, and spins a cautionary tale of catfishing and deceit for us all.

Creatives

Writer: Ronnie Larson

Director: Gerald Armin

Design: Waterloo East Theatre

Lighting: Jonathan Simpson