Procreation, that's what it's all about, procreation, in this charming musical tribute to the complexities of having a baby.
Baby, North Coast Rep's current offering, is under the excellent direction of Paula Kalustian. It stars Lindsey Gearhart, Steve Gunderson, Susan Jordan, Ashley Linton, Jason Maddy, Paul Morgavo, Nick Spear and Rebecca Spear. Sybille Pearson's book is complemented by Richard Maltby Jr.'s lyrics and David Shire's laidback music. The plot is advanced as much by the music and lyrics as by the dialogue, much in the style of Sondheim. Co-musical directors Tim McKnight and Andy Ingersoll, along with percussionist Danny King, provide a seamless backing to the 22 scenes and songs.
Marty Burnett's set background is reminiscent of neo-plasticist Piet Mondrian's paintings, i.e., bright geometric shapes outlined in heavy black borders. His set pieces are also geometric shapes, wood grained; some are cubes and rectangles while others are arches that serve as rockers and desks.
All of this makes absolute sense considering the many locations in the play. A large white projection screen is shadowed, indicating various backgrounds. Matt Novotny's creative lighting helps define the various locations.
The life of the play is the lives of the characters. Lizzie and Danny (Ashley Linton and Jason Maddy) are college students who were not too careful one fateful evening. She wants to keep the baby; he wants to get married immediately, while she is uncomfortable with marriage since most end up in divorce. Her plans are built in the world of dreams and idealism; his are practical as he goes off on a 71day tour with a dreadful band, which provides healthy amounts of cash. Linton and Maddy are delightful as these young parentstobe. Their duets, "What Could Be Better?" and "Two People in Love," are charming.
Meanwhile, Alan and Arlene (Steve Gunderson and Susan Jordan) are faced with many decisions. Their last daughter is about to graduate from college, so for the first time in their 20-some years together, they can live life just for the two of them. Alas, a party and too much champagne ends thoughts of just a twosome. ("The Plaza Song" amusingly relives that night.) Does this couple really want a baby? They'll be in their 60s when the child graduates from High School. Their dreams have been dashed, so this becomes a true test of their marriage. Gunderson and Jordan are convincing as a couple with some serious problems. They have a poignant duet, "And What If We Had Love Like That?"
Nick and Pam (Nick and Rebecca Spear) are in their thirties. They are given false and misleading hope that she may be pregnant, but she isn't. The doctor provides them with a rigid schedule of when to try and how to do it. Making love has never been so much a job: 11 p.m. on the ninth, eleventh, thirteenth, fifteen, and seventeenth of the month. The Spears portray Nick and Pam with compassion and touches of humor as expressed in their duet, "With You."
The ensemble (Lindsey Gearhart and Paul Morgavo) not only provide ancillary roles, but also short bridges from one scene to another. Gearhart can do a walk-through as a nurse and almost steal the scene. Morgavo, at one point, becomes a convincing professor.
Sound designer Chris Luessmann has provided a track that enhances the script and music. Costumer Ali Bretches gives the players a defining look for their roles.
The cast's voices complement and contrast each other excellently, from the company's opening number, "We Start Today," through to the "Birth Sequence" and "Bows," which closes the show.
Baby is a thoroughly enjoyable production, a musical in which the story and the actors dominate, not the music (though the lyrics do bring further dimension to the story).
Amusing and tender, Baby is an insightful look into what it means to bring a new life into the world.
