Yellow Sound Label has revealed the release date for the previously announced cast recording of Out of the Box Theatrics' Off-Broadway revival of Baby. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the David Shire, Richard Maltby, Jr., and Sybille Pearson musical, Baby: New Off-Broadway Cast Recording will be available on streaming and digital platforms February 14, 2023.
The work, which features music by Shire, lyrics by Maltby, and a book by Pearson, follows three couples of various ages dealing with impending parenthood. Premiering on Broadway in 1983, the score includes such favorites as "I Want It All," "I Chose Right," and "The Story Goes On." The script and lyrics were revisited for the 2021 Out of the Box Theatrics site-specific production, and the album will include that new and never-recorded material.
The cast features Christina Sajous as Pam, Gabrielle McClinton as Nicki, Julia Murney as Arlene, Robert H. Fowler as Alan, Liz Flemming as Lizzie, and Johnny Link as Danny. The ensemble includes Jorge Donoso, Marisa Kirby, Jewell Noel, and Ethan Paulini, who directed the revival.
Liz Flemming of Out of the Box Theatrics, comments: “I thought it was essential that we explore the relationships in Baby and the universal experience of having a baby through underrepresented families so that our audiences and artists could see themselves in this new production. Originally, due to script restrictions the only story we could explore with minor rewrites was the middle couple, making Nick and Pam a same-sex relationship (Nicki and Pam) going through IVF to have a child of their own. We were fortunate enough to connect with the original authors who were willing to explore a remount where we could tell this story with more time and research spent on the middle couple’s storyline.”
“Our world has changed,” she continues, “and each couple needed to be given the same time and attention as Nicki and Pam. I expressed my desire to Richard to see my personal story in Baby as a legally blind individual who grew up with disabled parents and explore each couple’s experience and how they could be changed. He could’ve said no, but instead Richard leaned into the process. Lizzie and Danny, written as two able-bodied individuals in the 1983 production, were retold in our production through a legally blind Lizzie and partially-deaf Danny to reflect the experience of the actors portraying them. Arlene and Alan were deepened through the actors playing them (Julia Murney and Robert H. Fowler) by staying true to their ages and asking some hard questions about who they were if they weren’t parents. For the middle couple, we brought on a writing advisor (Anthony Anello) to do research on IVF while Richard interviewed same-sex partners who went through the process.”
The album is produced by Michael Croiter, Maltby, and Geoffrey Ko, who also serves as music supervisor. Out of the Box Theatrics serves as executive producer.
