Flipping through piles of playbills, CDs and other theater memorabilia, I noticed that there are far more father figures in theater than mothers.

In fact, in a lot of shows, it's the absence of dear mom that fuels the storyline or character; classics such as "My Fair Lady" (Eliza had no mom), "Oklahoma!" (I suppose Aunt Eller could count as a mom) and "The Sound of Music" (those poor children, all seven of them); to more current shows, such as "Wicked" (Elphaba's mom died while giving birth), "Little Shop of Horrors" (hence, Mushnik and son) and don't even get me started on the Disney franchise.

So, this theater tribute, which will focus on musicals since the field is so broad, will cheer the good moms, boo the bad and give mention to the absentee mothers whose absence is so profound that someone had to write a musical about it.

GOOD MOMS

Kim, "Miss Saigon" (urrently running at Pioneer Theatre Company). Kim's love for her child, fathered by an American GI, is so strong she is willing to make very significant sacrifices to ensure his future.

Margaret Johnson, "Light in the Piazza." Faced with a child who is mentally and emotionally years younger than she really is, Margaret makes the difficult choice to let go of her grown daughter and let her get married, even though her future may be uncertain.

Edna Turnblad, "Hairspray." Forget about the part being played by a man, Edna is a true example of a mother who loves and supports her daughter's dreams and passions. Whether it's encouraging her to dance or spending a night in jail, Edna is there.

BAD MOMS

Rose, "Gypsy." Is it possible to have an article on bad moms and NOT mention Mama Rose? Though one could probably write a fascinating essay on the reasons Rose was a good mom, for our purposes she'll rest comfortably in the "bad" category.

Edith "Big Edie" Bouvier Beale, "Grey Gardens." I suppose it's striking that two of the bad moms on the list are based on true stories. Yikes! This is truly a frightening musical telling of a most dysfunctional mother/daughter relationship.

Miss Hannigan, "Annie." True, she wasn't a biological mom, but she was the mother to all those little orphans. And she's as nasty as they come. But isn't she fun to hate?

ABSENT MOMS