Three couples, in different stages of their lives and relationships, have equally different reactions to the possibility of pregnancy in “Baby,” presented April 17-May 19 at Citadel Theatre.
Performances of the musical by Richard Maltby Jr. (lyrics), David Shire (music), and Sybille Pearson (book) are at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays, plus 7:30 p.m. April 17 and 1 p.m. Wednesday matinees on May 1 and 15. There are no performances on May 2 or 16.
An unplanned pregnancy catches college junior Danny and Lizzie (played by Ben Ballmer and Madison Jaffe-Richter) by surprise.
Thirty-something Pam and Nick (played by Katie Engler and Mark Yacullo) are the school’s men’s and women’s basketball coaches who are having trouble conceiving.
Joe Lehman and Julie Bayer play Alan and Arlene, a university administrator and his wife in their forties, who discover that their planned empty nest is about to be refilled.
Alan is “just a good, solid, relatable, reliable guy,” Lehman said. Because the couple has become empty-nesters after raising their family, “They’re dealing with the change in their lives and how they define themselves having their main purpose being parents for so long,” Lehman said. “He loves his wife, he loves his marriage, he loves his relationship. He wants to keep that going and he’s faced with this challenging hurdle.”
When Alan learns of his wife’s unplanned pregnancy, he seems ready to continue parenting.
The actor is hoping that he will connect with the audience “with the humor, with all the playfulness, with all the fun, as well as the ups and downs.”
“Arlene is a complex character that I think many women can relate to,” Bayer said. “She’s that mother that feels she can handle everything. She’s organized. She works at the library as a volunteer. At the same time, she doesn’t want to show weakness or imperfection, which is part of her flaw.”
At the beginning of the play, Arlene is looking forward to her empty nest years. She is more conflicted about the pregnancy than Alan is, the actor said. “She has a hard time expressing her desires or her needs,” Bayer said. “She wants to make sure that Alan’s happy but they’re not on the same plane as far as decisions go.”
The biggest challenge of the role is “riding that rollercoaster” of her character’s emotions, Bayer said.
The actor praised the highly collaborative spirit that director Scott Shallenbarger has created for the cast and the fact that he has moved the musical to the current day.
“I did not know the show when (Artistic Director) Scott Phelps invited me to direct it at Citadel,” Shallenbarger admitted. “I listened to the music and was hooked instantly and couldn’t believe I had never heard it before.
“Then when I read the script, I was so pleased to discover that it had such depth as well in terms of the relationships and the character journeys that they go on emotionally. Ironically, given its title, it’s really about the rebirth of the adults.”
The director is confident that audience members will relate to at least one of the situations faced by one of the couples.
That will be helped by the fact that Shallenbarger is setting the show in 2024. “The lyricist, Mr. Maltby, gives permission in the script to update lyrics,” the director said.
Shallenbarger concluded that one of the things that he loves about this show is that “Each one of these couples deals with their issues with love and bravery. I’m hoping to have a model of how human beings can move through very difficult things but not destroy each other in the process and actually help to lift each other.”
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
‘Baby’
When: April 17-May 19
Where: Citadel Theatre, 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest
Tickets: $40-$45; $20 for previews April 17-18
Information: 847-735-8554, ext. 1; citadeltheatre.org