Coming to Hollywood Fringe:
A Fatherhood Story You Didn’t Know You Needed
Fatherhood isn’t always what you expect — and Best. Dad. NEVER. proves that’s exactly where the magic happens. Haig “Hike” Chahinian didn’t set out to write a feel-good story about fatherhood. Good thing, because this one-man outing is something better: honest, funny, and completely unfiltered.
In his charming, heartfelt show, “Hike” unpacks the wild, humbling, and often hilarious reality of becoming a first-time dad. What happens when a gay Armenian-American man sets out to be the perfect antiracist, Black Girl Magic-celebrating papa — and instead finds himself fumbling, learning, and laughing at every turn? You get a story that’s as tender as it is relatable, even if you’ve never changed a diaper in your life.
After years of wondering if he’d ever be a parent, Hike found himself navigating life with a biracial Black daughter, a million opinions about what it means to “do it right,” and zero interest in pretending he had it all figured out. Inspired by his essays in The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, and O, The Oprah Magazine, Chahinian offers a journey that isn’t polished like a TED Talk — and that’s exactly why it works. It’s real. It’s raw. It’s refreshingly human. Somewhere between the self-doubt, awkward stumbles, and unexpected grace notes, you realize you’re watching something quietly revolutionary: a man rewriting the script for what fatherhood can look like today. It’s a solo show that’s part confessional, part survival guide, and all heart — but not the cheesy kind.
I caught the show at a sold-out world premiere at the Whitefire Theatre’s Solofest. Now, Best. Dad. NEVER. makes its way to the Hollywood Fringe Festival — a perfect fit for Father’s Day and Pride Month. Chahinian’s storytelling is funny, intimate, and sharp-edged without ever losing heart.
Forget the tired, polished Dad tropes. This is messy, beautiful, first-draft parenting — and it just might leave you feeling a little more hopeful about the world.
If you believe that love — even the stumbling, imperfect kind — is what makes a family, Best. Dad. NEVER. is the show you didn’t know you were waiting for.
photos by Peter Simmons
Best. Dad. NEVER.
Hollywood Fringe Festival
Hudson Theatre Mainstage, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd
preview Thursday, June 5 at 7;
Sat, June 14 at 7; Tues, June 17 at 7; Sat, June 21 at 5; and Sat, June 28 at 7
proceeds from the Father’s Day show Saturday, June 14 will benefit GWK Academy,
a nonprofit that educates & supports all queer people about options for family building
for tickets ($20), visit hollywoodfringe.org/projects/11548
for more info, visit Chahinian
