Best. Dad. NEVER.
A gay Armenian-American Girl Dad, setting out to be the perfect Black Girl Magic-celebrating papa, stumbles through the humbling and hilarious fumbles of first-time fatherhood: from shopping for girls' swimsuits to catching his own bigotry. Haig "Hike" Chahinian, grandson of Armenian genocide survivors, was expected to marry a girl from his tribe. Instead, he met his dream man and adopted a bouncing biracial baby. Inspired by his viral essays in The New York Times, this intimate, messy, richly relatable story unpacks what we inherit, what we pass down, and the inherent conflict in striving to be good.
- Venue: Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- City: Edinburgh
- Rating: 5 / 5 (3 reviews)
Performances
- Sun, 9 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Fri, 14 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Sun, 23 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Fri, 21 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Mon, 24 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Wed, 12 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Fri, 7 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Wed, 26 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Mon, 17 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Thu, 6 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Sun, 16 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Thu, 13 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Fri, 28 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Sat, 15 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Thu, 27 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Thu, 20 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Wed, 19 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Tue, 11 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Sat, 29 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Mon, 10 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Sun, 30 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Tue, 25 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Sat, 22 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
- Sat, 8 Aug 2026, 13:05 — Just The Tonic at The Mash House
Reviews
- Former NY Theater Critic — ★★★★★ (5/5) — August 1, 2026
BestLots of heart and lots o laughs. That's what what makes Best Dad NEVER so captivating.. We follow Hike, a white gay Armenian American from childhood in Los Angeles to true love in New York and the adoption of an African American daughter via New Orleans. There are missteps at ever turn, which autobiograhical playright Hike Chahinian conveys with loving humor and subtle vulnerability. Chahinian stars as himself in a performance that's warm and witty. He's a completely endearing tour guide for aa trip you won'twant to miss. - LA Theater Guy — ★★★★★ (5/5) — July 27, 2026
Best. Dad. NEVER. unravels a complex father/daughter relationship with humor, love and extraordinary insight. Hike Chahinian bares his sole on stage with light-hearted sincerity and theatrical finesse, bringing the audience along on an emotional roller coaster imbued with generational trauma, parenting naiveté and life lessons that will touch anyone remotely human. Let yourself be taken away for 55 minutes this summer — don’t miss Best. Dad. NEVER. - Malgorzata Wieteszka-Slocomb — ★★★★★ (5/5) — July 27, 2026
This show touched my heart! I highly recommend it! I laughed and I cried as I was whisked away by the Author on a witty and emotional journey of intimate self reflection and self examination inspired by his personal experiences and historical events from his family’s past. Haig Chahinian takes us on a journey through Armenia, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City and back to Los Angeles! He shares with us many colorful stories from his life as a gay man, as an American son to his Armenian Parents, and most importantly as deeply introspective parent. He opens up to us and challenges us to open up to ourselves. He inspires us to examine our own attitudes, judgements and values so we can consciously reconnect with our humanity and show empathy towards the world, as well as towards ourselves! Are we our best selves, never? Always? I think Haig is showing us that, despite our flaws and judgement, we can be our best selves at least sometimes. And I’ll take that! Life’s hard, “sometimes” is good enough for me! Thank you Haig!