GREENFIELD — Baby. There may be no other word in the English language that elicits such a range of human emotions.
The Ricks-Weil Theatre Company’s production of “Baby the Musical,” directed by Beth Ray-Scott and music director Angela Mickler, takes a musical look at three couples in vastly different stages of life, each dealing with the concept of a new baby in different ways.
Lizzie (Alexandra Kern) and Danny (Gage Williamson) are both juniors in college who have recently moved in together — and suddenly find themselves pregnant. Pam (Stefany Boleyn) and Nick (Onis Dean), respectively, a college basketball coach and athletic instructor, have been trying to get pregnant for more than two years. Arlene (Lindsay Taylor) and Alan (Bryan Padgett), the empty-nester parents of three grown children, find themselves at odds when they learn that they are expecting again.
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Ray-Scott admits that “Baby” isn’t a well-known show, but that’s part of the reason why she chose it. Nominated for several Tonys in 1984, “Baby the Musical” has long been on Ray-Scott’s list of productions for possible performance.
“It has some really good music, and it’s different,” she said.
But the name of the show is exactly what attracted Indy-based actor Bryan Padgett to audition. He was familiar with the music through a showtune-themed channel on Sirius XM satellite radio.
Padgett has made the rounds of Indianapolis-area community theater from Footlite Musicals to the Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre to the Buck Creek Players for the past 30 years. He was most recently seen as the villain Hertz Klineman in “Rock of Ages” at the Theatre on Square.
Padgett saw the audition notice on the Ricks-Weil Theatre Company Facebook page. He attended auditions and was cast as Alan. Like his character, Padgett is also in his 40s and describes him as “ecstatic” at the idea of fatherhood.
On the other hand, his counterpart Arlene, played by Lindsay Taylor, isn’t quite as thrilled.
“She’s happy the kids are out of the house and really wants to rekindle the romantic relationship with her husband,” Taylor said.
“This is just two people trying to find each other,” Padgett said.
Although the show is a light-hearted musical comedy, it does have its adult moments. Since the play begins with a high school health class sex education film, Ray-Scott suggests a PG-13 rating. The character of Pam also engages in some of the doctor-suggested contortions recommended for successful fertilization.
Ray-Scott makes a cameo appearance in the show with some of the more mature women in the ensemble. She, along with assistant director Kathy Borgmann and chorus members Kim Miller and Faith Turpin surround the 20-year-old Lizzie for the song “Ladies Singing Their Song,” sharing their experiences with childbirth whether Lizzie wants to hear them or not.
As Pam, the 30-year-old basketball coach, non-athlete Stefany Boleyn spends a lot of stage time carrying around a basketball. She admits she didn’t know much about the game, aside from once being hit in the face by a basketball while cheerleading during a game.
“I’ve learned how to throw it around me,” she shared with pride, “and mostly learned how to spin it on one finger.”
Although the play is called “Baby the Musical,” babies are not the focus of the story, Ray-Scott explains.
“The play’s author wants you to focus on the relationships,” she said. “The show is actually about how a baby — or the idea of a baby — changes three existing relationships.”
And Padgett agrees: “People will find the comedy, but also realize the heart of our story is just about human companionship.”
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“Baby” plays Aug. 3, 4, 10 and 11 at 7:30 p.m. and Aug. 12 at 2:30 p.m. at the H. J. Ricks Centre for the Arts, 122 W. Main St. Tickets are available for $13 at seatyourself.biz or from the Ricks box office one hour before show time. For more information, visit Ricks-Weil Theatre Company on Facebook or ricksweiltheatreco.wixsite.com/information.
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