Citadel Theatre’s “Baby,” with Katie Engler, Julie Bayer, Madison Jaffe-Richter/Photo: North Shore Camera Club
Raising children is tough work, but the very thought of having children can be equally daunting. Some have their world turned upside down by an unexpected pregnancy while others struggle to get pregnant in the first place. A range of trepidations about having children is presented in “Baby,” a restaging of the 1983 Broadway musical running through May 19 at Citadel Theatre.
There are three couples, each at different stages of life: Lizzie (Madison Jaffe-Richter) and Danny (Ben Ballmer) are still in college and living together, with Danny wanting to focus on his music career. Pam (Katie Engler) and Nick (Mark Yacullo) are in their thirties and are desperately trying to become pregnant. Alan (Joe Lehman) and Arlene (Julie Bayer) are recent empty-nesters in their forties. Lizzie and Arlene experience unplanned pregnancies that cause difficulties at their respective ages; while Pam and Nick have the opposite problem and their attempts to get pregnant have turned their sex life into a grueling second job.
The cast does an excellent job of trying to put life into humdrum musical numbers. Yacullo embodies the vocal stylings of a nightclub crooner while singing “Baby, Baby, Baby” to the idea of his future child, but the style and lyrics come off as awkward—”Baby, baby, baby. Listen to your Papa! Hey there pretty baby better hurry and get here!” “I Want It All” is an outdated white-collar feminist anthem with a refrain that repeats too many times to count. The only memorable song is the opening number, “We Start Today,” but only because it is repeated three times. The music by David Shire contains few if any notable hooks, and the lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr. are cheesy and gauche.
Citadel Theatre’s “Baby,” with Joe Lehman, Aaron Rumack, Ben Ballmer, Mark Yacullo, and Evan B. Smith/Photo: North Shore Camera Club
The actors’ performances are a high point. Ballmer displays a striking vocal range that is delivered with an impressive force that belies his thin frame. Engler brings a wealth of energy to the quirky role of Pam, with large, expressive eyes that flash and light up the room. Lehman and Bayer as the older couple show fantastic chemistry in the melancholic yet heartwarming duet, “And What If We Had Loved Like That.” Unfortunately, there is only so much they can do with the schmaltzy material.
Director Scott Shallenbarger does a decent job of providing transitions from one scene to the next and balances the three stories by having the couples appear at different sides and levels of the stage. Shallenbarger is also the choreographer, with dance numbers that consist mostly of walking, with light booty-shaking and air-guitar solos thrown in here and there.
Kudos to the book by Sybille Pearson for having a realistic and human approach to the profound impact of having a baby despite littering the script with hit-or-miss one-liners. There are moments that accurately reflect the feelings of jubilance, sorrow, confusion and anticipatory anxiety of having a baby. Couples that have, or are trying to have children will find plenty of opportunities for knowing side glances.
“Baby” might have been edgy in the 1980s, but by modern standards that edge has dulled. The feminist message is woefully dated, and the playful musical numbers undermine the poignant subject matter. Citadel Theatre has proven that they know how to produce excellent plays, as in their recent productions of “Silent Sky” and “The Mousetrap,” but cheese will stink no matter how you cut it, and the company would do well with a less tacky musical.
“Baby” runs through May 19 at Citadel Theatre, 300 South Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. Tickets are $40-$45 at citadeltheatre.org.
