BABY … spontaneous performances of a forgotten musical
Hayes Theatre Co | June 20-23
The next presentation by innovative, non-profit theatre company Neglected Musicals will be BABY at The Hayes Theatre Company for four shows only. Directed by Neil Gooding, this 1983 Tony Nominated Broadway musical by Maltby & Shire is about three couples, each newly expecting a child, with very different but familiar reactions.
Neglected Musicals presents musical theatre that has never or rarely been seen in Australia. Presented with scripts in hand, and with piano accompaniment after only a day’s rehearsal. These ‘neglected musicals’ may not have been considered commercial enough for an Australian season or they just didn’t get picked up by an Australian producer. It may even have been a financial flop overseas but have artistic merit and worth a look. All performers are volunteers and the money raised from the shows goes back into the next season of ‘neglected musicals’.
“I am enormously excited to finally get the chance to explore this fantastic musical,” said director Neil Gooding. “It is a show that I have always loved, with some iconic songs that became beloved anthems to an entire generation of performers. Whilst it is a show of its time, its themes are still relevant, and it is truly due for another outing. I can’t wait to see what this incredible cast are going to be able to produce on stage.”
The Broadway production, directed by Richard Maltby Jr. and choreographed by Wayne Cilento, opened on December 4, 1983 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, where it ran for 241 performances and 35 previews. The cast included Liz Callaway as Lizzie Fields.
The story: Lizzie and Danny are university juniors who have just moved in together. Athletic Pam and her husband, Nick, a sports instructor, have had some trouble conceiving. Arlene, already the mother of three grown daughters, is unsure of what to do, contemplating a termination, while her husband Alan is thrilled with the thought of a new baby. Throughout the show these characters experience the emotional stresses and triumphs, the desperate lows and the comic highs that accompany the anticipation and arrival of a baby.
This presentation will star Bronte Florian ( CROSSxROADS, Company) as Lizzie, Luke Joslin (Les Miserables, Annie) as Nick, Katrina Retallick (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Ruthless) as Arlene, David Whitney (Fiddler on the Roof, Love Child) as Alan and Rowan Witt (Les Miserables, Dog Fight) as Danny. (Cast subject to change.)
The next Neglected Musical will be CALAMITY JANE – the Doris Day musical classic – in early August starring Virginia Gay.
BABY | Hayes Theatre Co
Original Book by Sybille Pearson, Music by David Shire, Lyrics By Richard Maltby Jr
Directed by Neil Gooding
Musical Director Steven Kreamer
Producer Michelle Guthrie
Monday 20 June at 2pm & 7.30pm
Tuesday 21 June at 7.30pm
Wednesday 22 June at 7.30pm
Four performances only at Hayes Theatre Co, Potts Point
Tickets $42
Bookings via the Neglected Musicals website, Hayes Theatre Co website or by calling 02 8065 7337
Based on a story developed with Susan Yankowitz
Originally Directed on Broadway by Richard Maltby Jr
Produced on Broadway by James B Freydberg and Ivan Bloch
Kenneth John Productions Inc., Suzanne J Schwartz
In association with Manuscript Productions
Presented by Neglected Musicals Pty Ltd
By Arrangement with Hal Leonard Australia
