Baby

While I think the premise of this show could have been quite interesting (examining a relationship between a young woman and a much older man), it did not hit the mark for me. He came off as irritable and abusive, and she seemed like a wet blanket, leaving me wondering why she was not only taking his verbal abuse, but not even seeming to mind. Perhaps it's because I'm a young(ish) woman myself--I absolutely couldn't relate and found myself frustrated. The acting styles did not match--they might have been in two different plays, him on Broadway and her on TV. But the hardest part to watch, for me, was the curtain call, where a few eye rolls made it look like a big apology to the audience.... full review

Perhaps where "Baby" suffers the most is in it's lack of rehearsal and commitment with both of it's actors. Yes, these broadway veterans are superb on their own, but together their lack of on stage chemistry ultimately takes away from what could otherwise be a near perfect show. You can't be afraid to touch your scene partner, especially in one of the most critical moments of the show. That said, Baby is still worth seeing, it's a brilliantly crafted script by Lisa Ebersole, brought to life, simply, almost perfectly by Matt Soson. It could use some line throughs, some projection, and a little bit more chemistry. ... full review

For personal reasons I found the story difficult to watch at times but there is NO questioning the level of quality put into this production. The performers devote themselves 100% to the story and this is not easy material to navigate. The invalid older man is "dying" (or so he says) and it seems everything he touches is marked to whither alongside him. He's a vacume of a former star who does not know how to handle the humiliation of old age nor how to claim his nature again. The last image the director Matt Soson leaves you with will hopefully open you to the possibilities of the stage and make you appreciate the gift of the fringe where such innovations can pop up out of nowhere and inspire the hell out of you.... full review

I dislike that the only 3 options for rating Fringe shows is loved it, liked it, or not my thing because unfortunately, none of these really hit the mark for what this show was for me. I'm going to go with Liked it because it's the half way mark and it wasn't all bad. But I didn't really 'like it' in truth. It was okay. I think that this show really had the potential to be an amazing piece of theater. The script is great, the cast has a notable body of work behind them, and the stakes are high. Unfortunately, I don't think the actors or director entirely met the complexity of what was really going on, head on. Everything was done correct on the surface but I didn't feel like the actors were really listening or connecting to each other... full review

Very interesting play, well acted and very nicely directed.... full review