The Ensemble Theatre's Baby With The Bathwater at Phoenix Theatre's Little Theatre
(out of 
)Mark S.P. Turvin
(home office) (602) 912-0117
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@goldfishpublishers.com
Reviewed 1/10/99
(out of )Christopher Durang is not everyone's cup of hemlock. As opposed to contemporary satiric/absurdist playwright John Guare, there is just a hint of mean-spiritedness that says "This is more than satirical and absurd, this is the way it actually happened." His legendary biographical bent makes some of those stings and barbs loaded strategically into his plays that much more painful. But, with that aside, Mr. Durang is one of my favorite playwrights, and his play, Baby With The Bathwater, is one of the best from his collection. Of course, as is the case with Durang, the mistreatment that occurs to the almost never seen Baby between birth and ten years old is just this side of horrifying, even while it is side-splittingly funny.
The story centers on John, Helen and their bundle of joy, the
unnamed, sexually unidentified titled Baby. To call John and Helen
unfit parents is the same as saying that John Wayne Gacey was
an unfit clown. John is an alcoholic addicted to Nyquil and pills,
and Helen is a manic depressive whose shouted words of love and
tender threats are symptoms of a larger problem. Thrown into the
mix is the uninvited Nanny, who sustains this unhealthy atmosphere
for Baby with wild mood swings, abuse, and lacy lingerie. We follow
Baby from birth to just after its thirtieth birthday, and laugh
at and must suffer through a maniacal upbringing that takes the
dysfunctional family to new depths.
The worthy-though-struggling not-for-profit group The Ensemble
Theatre and co-directors David Vining and Anthony
Runfola have staged this farcical romp in the setting of a
giant crib, and that is the perfect location for the events, for
one has the sense that John and Helen, along with the other nutcases
and oddballs that populate Baby's world, should be confined to
infant's furniture. Their direction of this fast-paced piece is
solid, although the attention to detail seemed a bit off during
this Sunday matinee.
That attention to detail is embodied in the performances of the
leads, Kay Kirby and Will Hare. Part of the rigorous
requirements of performing Durang is an absolutely perfect sense
of timing and crispness that allows the vicious action to seem
nearly choreographed. Both Ms. Kirby and Mr. Hare begin the show
in a mushy way, peering into the bassinet and cooing and cursing
in a non-specific rhythm that takes away from the humor of the
piece while intensifying the abuse that is occurring. A sharper
flow during the opening section would have helped to set their
characters right.
The production definitely picks up both energy and pace when the
over-the-top Kathleen Butler strides confidently into the
scene as the unbalanced Nanny, throwing the entire show into a
tizzy and heightening the humor of the piece. Had Ms. Kirby and
Mr. Hare been sharper before, Ms. Butler may have been too forceful,
but her overwhelming presence helps to set the show back on the
right track. She also plays a woman in the park well, creating
a different character in the process, but still later in the play,
she acts the part of Baby's Principal, and it is not differentiated
enough from her Nanny character, instead coming off as "more
of the same."
Solid work comes from Maggie Fleck as a young woman in
three different roles, and Benjamin Monrad as a young man.
Ms. Fleck is very good at creating her three separate characters,
and Mr. Monrad gains his expected sympathy without any kind of
pathos creeping in, an impressive job.
As mentioned earlier, Vonn Lamoree's scenic design was
perfect, allowing the crib theme to work as an overall comment,
and including oversized children's blocks as furniture pieces.
The small theatre space is not terribly conducive to flights of
fancy in set, lighting or sound, yet kudos go to Tim Hart's
technical direction, and Anthony Runfola's impeccable sound
design for going above and beyond. Also solid is Greg London's
costume design.
Save for the slow start, and the way-over-the-top material, the
show wound up being a funny and thought-provoking production.
As long as you are not easily offended, and enjoy a little cruelty
with your comedy, then this is a production you'll appreciate.
Production Details:
Baby With The Bathwater by Christopher Durang
The Ensemble Theatre
Phoenix Theatre's Little Theatre, Phoenix
(602) 254-2151 or (602) 970-9951
January 8th - January 24th, 1999