BWW Reviews: Austin Theatre Project’s BABY is a Bundle of Joy

Break out the champagne and cigars.  It's not a boy.  It's not a girl.  It's a hit!  With BABY, the little-known 1980s musical, Austin Theatre Project proves it is a force to be reckoned with, quite a feat considering The Company is less than one year old.

The show, with book by Sybille Pearson, music by David Shire, and lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr., follows the trials and tribulations of three couples as they expect a new child.  Yes, we've seen this type of story before, but rarely as entertaining as this.

What makes the show truly work are the six principle actors.  All play characters that seem a bit cliché on paper, but in the hands of these actors, all of the characters seem authentic, real, and nuanced.  As Alan and Arlene, the over 40 empty nesters, Kevin Oliver and Suzanne Orzech are delightfully quirky.  Oliver plays Alan as a loveable goofball, and Orzech has the challenge of balancing some hysterical antics including over-the-top mood swings with one of the show's few darker, emotional scenes.  Whatever the task, Orzech is up to it.

As Nick and Pam, the thirty-somethings who have difficulty conceiving, Jim Lindsay and Ryan Smith are adorable.  Lindsay's take on Nick is full of shtick (his Groucho Marx impression is spot on), and Smith's Pam is charming in her gleeful anxiousness at the very thought of motherhood.  They too have some dramatic moments, all of which ring true and poignant.

And as Danny and Lizzie, the college students who have an unexpected pregnancy, Joey Banks and Haley Montgomery are infectious.  They are, by the tiniest margin, the two best voices in the show and are two young actors to watch.  Montgomery easily balances Lizzie's hopefulness with her grounded, never-gonna-get-married brand of feminism.  Her Act I closer, "The Story Goes On," is a highlight of the evening.  Banks has equal success with the similarly paradoxical rocker boy who desperately wants to become a husband.  If his rendition of the ballad "I Chose Right," doesn't make you swoon, you may need to check your pulse.

After the show, I had a chance to chat with a few cast members, all of whom praised their Director, Barbara Schuler, for allowing them to have fun with the piece and play around with their characters and relationships.  As an audience member, it's clear that Schuler's laissez-faire directing style serves the piece well.  Every characterization, every beat, and every movement feel organic and authentic, something that's quite a challenge in any show where characters spontaneously burst into song.  Her direction is blissfully simple, focusing on characters, relationship, and substance over glitter and glitz.

Likewise, Musical Director David Blackburn keeps the band simple as well.  While the Original Broadway version of BABY was done a 30 piece orchestra, Blackburn uses a four piece band instead.  While I usually think that downsizing the orchestrations rarely serves a piece well, here it is a welcome idea that keeps the show centered and focused.  While the original orchestrations are sprawling and out of place, this version is much more condensed and is more appropriate.

All other members of the creative team seem to understand Schuler and Blackburn's "less is more" approach to the material.  Meg Steiner's choreography may not be too showy or elaborate, but it fits the material by being sweet and cute.  Her work on "Fatherhood Blues," in which the principle and ensemble men all use baseball bats as air guitars, is memorable for its irreverent fun.  The set, also by Blackburn, features one bed, two walls, and a few chairs and never pulls focus from the characters or their stories.  The costumes by Veronica Prior perfectly show us who these characters are.  But the greatest asset to the design team has to be Lighting Designer Dustin Downing.  His lighting is subtle but beautiful as plays with shadows, and it was pleasing to see that though the show is BABY, Downing doesn't light everything in shades of pink and blue.  It's absolutely astounding that Downing has this much talent and is, according to his bio, still in college.

BABY is certainly a must-see event of Austin's fall theater season.  This is a feel-good show, an often overlooked gem from the Broadway of the 80s, and produced by some of Austin's finest artists and actors.  While the young Austin Theatre Project may be a baby in itself, this production proves that The Company is already walking and talking.

Run time: 2 hours and 30 minutes, including one 15 minute intermission.

BABY plays the Dougherty Arts Center in Austin, TX now through October 28^th.  Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm.  Tickets are $25.00 for premium seating (1^st two rows), $20.00 for general admission, and $15.00 for Students/Seniors.

For tickets and information, visit www.austintheatreproject.org

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