My overall impression
Originally posted on Bitter Lemons http://wp.me/p1ZQLV-adL
Legendary film actor Ron West is a sick, old shell of a man, holed up and waiting to die. But his much-younger wife thinks he’s got one more command performance in him: getting her pregnant. Lisa Ebersole’s dark comedy is sharp and vicious and funny, and we couldn’t ask for better performers than Herman Poppe and Heather Lindell as the not-so-unlikely couple. Under Matt Soson’s direction, Mr. Poppe is heartbreakingly pathetic, yet somehow magnetic. Ms. Lindell is a strong, sassy partner and with her nuanced portrayal, we buy the relationship despite the characters’ 40+ year age gap. For the most part, the performers manage to nail the best aspects of the playwright’s clever, always surprising writing.
Production-wise, this “Baby” is more problematic, perhaps suffering a bit from scrappy Fringe constraints. We’re missing a strong sense of place, and this makes some of the play’s trickier and more abstract elements somewhat fuzzy, the staging seem awkward. Add to that opening night technical glitches; fingers crossed they get smoothed out over the run. Because there’s the potential for exceptional work here – including a final design pop – that deserves to have those loose ends tied up tight.
