By JESSICA NEU
Pregnancy is a strange thing. Every woman’s journey to finding out they are expecting differs. Sometimes, it is expected; sometimes, it is a complete shock. Not to mention the myriad symptoms, side effects, cravings, emotions, and reactions. Sometimes, pregnancy leads to unimaginable joy, while others lead to heart-wrenching grief. Like snowflakes, no two pregnancies are alike.
Originally opening in 1983, Baby tells the story of three couples on their journey through pregnancy with book by Sybille Pearson, music by David Shire, and lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr. Baby was reimagined in 2021 to speak to a current audience. In a 2023 interview with the Observer, Maltby noted, “We are a show that takes place in the present. The truth is that everything relative to babies and fertility – sexuality, gender, medical science, language, diversity, child-bearing ages, politics – all of that has changed. We needed to become a present-tense show again.”
Directed by Kristiann Menotiades, Baby introduces us to Lizzie (Saige Smith) and Danny (Braden Max Stroppel). They are juniors in college who met in a support group for students with disabilities – Lizzie is legally blind, and Danny is deaf. They move into a small basement apartment together only to quickly discover that they are unexpectedly expecting. They are equally excited, nervous, and overly pragmatic. Lizzie is convinced that she will take three weeks off from class, get extensions on her term papers and that the baby will fit nicely into her life. Danny is a bit more skeptical about how they will financially support a child and wants to marry Lizzie despite Lizzie’s staunch objection to what she feels is an antiquated tradition.
We also meet Alan (Alan Snyder) and Arlene (Becki Toth). Ages 52 and 49 respectively, they are celebrating finally becoming empty nesters as their youngest of 4 children just moved out. Much to their surprise, Alan and Arlene discover that they too are expecting after a champagne-fueled rendezvous at the Ritz. The middle-aged couple are far less excited about this news than Lizzie and Danny. Arlene wanted to sell their family home and find a smaller, more manageable apartment as she entered her 50s. Now facing the extremely unexpected, Arlene and Alan must decide if they are willing and able to start over on their parenting journey.
The third couple we meet is Pam (Lindsay Bayer Ray) and her wife Nicki (Maria Bechtel). Pam and Nicki have been trying to conceive a baby for six months. They are offered a glimmer of hope when Pam’s period is late, but she is not pregnant. Frustrated yet still hopeful, the couple turns to the more intense conception method of IVF.
The set (John Michael Bohach) is a clever tower of wooden building blocks. The blocks represent a common baby toy but can also serve as a metaphor for the building blocks of life. Each couple is in a different stage of their life, but all face the same life-altering moment.
As a whole, Baby is not a perfect musical. Critics have argued that the show has several plot holes and that the characters’ storylines tie up too neatly or conveniently. However, Front Porch Theatrical’s production overcomes potential shortcomings with third-trimester-sized talent. The entire company shines vocally in all of Baby’s pleasant, catchy numbers that will be stuck in your head for days to come. All three couples portray their respective roles with depth, energy, and relatability. They address the nuances of parenting, aging, and adhering to heteronormative gender roles with pristine comedic timing but also emotional strife. Smith and Stroppel have a special dynamic between them as an eager, naïve couple with differing views of marriage. They naturally consider what their child will be like with a sense of tenacious hope and unbridled optimism. One of the most interesting subplots evolves as Danny wants to get married, but Lizzie does not. He describes how his peers never thought twice when he had tattoos or odd piercings but suddenly looked at him like a “freak” when he said he felt he and Lizzie should wed. This unique critique of gender roles and stereotypes is part of what makes Baby great.
Baby also explores what pregnancy is like for dads, who often feel left out in some capacity. “Fatherhood Blues” is a standout number as Stroppel, Snyder, Bechtel, and two fellow company members, William Forrest Smith and David Ieong, perfectly address the woes of fatherhood and pending fatherhood. Another wonderful number is somewhat of “Fatherhood Blues” foil, “I Want it All.” Toth, Ray, and Smith sing about wanting to be a present mother but still have a successful career of their choice and a healthy personal life. This number was undoubtedly groundbreaking for the early 1980s, as feminism was still a relatively new movement. The song remains relevant in 2025 as mothers still discuss the turbulence of navigating the demands of motherhood, a career, and a personal life.
In a digital era inundated with “trad wife” trends and mommy blogs, Toth, Ray, and Smith pierce through the often self-loathing online rhetoric and portray raw, introspective, emotional, versatile women. Neither their characters nor relationships are as messy as those depicted on reality television shows, but that is part of Baby’s appeal.
Toth and Snyder’s storyline is particularly vulnerable and perceptive. After raising four children, they question their capacity to start over with a newborn and contemplate if they need to have a child in their home to define their relationship. Toth questions if, after all these years, they can be anything more than mom and dad. She wants to start over, get an apartment, and even contemplate returning to school to finish her Masters Degree, which she had to quit when she became pregnant in her 20s. Their concerns are real. Their performance is vulnerable and perfectly executed as they struggle to recognize and accept their identities.
Baby highlights the parts of your life that you rarely talk about. Each cast member certainly brought something to their character from their own lives. Whether it is their relationship with their mothers, partners, or children, or simply wishing to remain single, the company of Baby delivers a heartfelt performance that celebrates both the expected, the unexpected, the power in relationships, and our inner strength.
Read Sharon Eberson’s preview of Front Porch’s production of Baby here.
Next up for Front Porch Theatricals, Sunday in the Park with George, August 15 – 24, 2026
TICKETS AND DETAILS
Front Porch Theatricals production of Baby at the New Hazlett Theater runs now through May 25, 2025. Tickets at https://ci.ovationtix.com/36406/production/1223325
Categories: Arts and Ideas, Reviews
Leave a Reply Cancel reply