Arts & Culture
Today’s “Baby,” a Theater and Dance Department performance
University Relations and Communication
The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Theater and Dance Department will stage “Baby,” a musical about the universal experience of having a child on May 2 to 4 and 7 to 10.
Written by Sybille Pearson, “Baby” debuted on Broadway in the 1980s and was nominated for several Tony Awards. The story explores the lives and relationships of three couples on a university campus. Each has an experience with childbearing. One young couple are college students, a 30-something couple has trouble conceiving and a set of middle-aged parents whose last child is graduating from college find themselves right back where they started.
“This show really speaks to people, young and old,” said director Tim Howard, assistant professor of theater and dance and coordinator of the musical theatre program. “The show has great humanity in that theme itself is beautifully universal. It brings people together.”
While the story has a romantic mood, the musical score has a pop feel. In staging the show for UW-SP, Howard updated the play by changing references and the color palette of the set and costumes to reflect the culture of 2008.
He added vignettes of everyday happenings on a college campus, such as the hustle and bustle of finals week, in order to add life and realism to the stage, cover the many scene changes and make the show more flowing and cinematic. He has also added an aspect of intimacy by bringing the stage closer to the audience.
“Students are excited about this show and have a really good feeling about it,” Howard says. “I’ve encouraged them to bring themselves into it, and it’s been a collaborative process.”
Performances of “Baby” will be held in the Jenkins Theater in the Noel Fine Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. A matinee performance will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 4. Tickets are $17 for adults, $16 for senior citizens and $12 for youth. UW-SP students with a valid ID may purchase advance tickets for $4.50 per show or get in free the day of the show if seats are still available.
Tickets may be purchased at the University Information and Ticket Desk in the Dreyfus University Center concourse, by calling (800) 838-3378 or online at http://www.uwsp.edu/centers/uit/ordering.asp.
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