And Baby Makes Seven

By Paula Vogel

Directed by Karla Hartley

Sep. 24 – Oct. 11, 2009

Thu. – Sat. 8pm, Sun. 4pm

Tickets: $24.50

Shimberg Playhouse, Straz Center for the Performing Arts

Anna, Ruth and Peter await the arrival of their newborn child, but first they must rid the crowded apartment of their three imaginary children. Hilariously startling and brilliantly funny, Paula Vogel (The Mineola Twins, How I Learned to Drive) redefines the meaning of family and completely blurs the lines between illusion and reality, power and subjection, friendship and love, female and male.

And Baby Makes Seven hints at serious themes – questioning whether we ever really do grow up, detailing the ways in which Anna, Peter and Ruth must change and accommodate to become a family. But for the most part, it's a comic fairy tale and, despite some scary Brothers Grimm-style currents, a celebration at heart, sweet-natured and affirmative.

In order to move forward in their newly-found adult responsibilities as parents-to-be, Ruth and Anna (a lesbian couple) and Peter (the live-in gay father of their unborn child) struggle with killing off the imaginary children who are dominating their lives. There’s Henri, the little impish French boy from the movie The Red Balloon; Cecil, the nine-year old child genius; and Orphan, the feral wild-child raised by dogs at the Port Authority. When the children begin to clash with one another and the adults, all bets are off. And Baby Makes Seven transcends the GLBT subject matter to raise a more universal question that’s extremely relevant in today’s me-first, ultra-technological society – at what point do we put away childish things and accept responsibility for our lives and our relationships? The results are a laugh-laden and poignant piece of theater that borrows plot points and dialogue from a hodgepodge of literary and cinematic sources, including Shakespeare, Peter Pan and The Exorcist that’s sure to provoke discussion and furrow the brows of more literal-minded observers. Is the excessive role-playing merely pet games or genuine psychotic breaks? What’s the real relationship between Peter, Anna and Ruth? Will the imaginary children be exorcised, or will they find a way to stay?

Filled with outrageous touches, And Baby Makes Seven is one of those rare theatergoing opportunities where everything comes together in a string of magical moments. Be prepared to be enchanted seven times!

Warning

And Baby Makes Seven contains adult language and subject matter and is intended for mature audiences only.
(L-R) David M. Jenkins, Alison Burns and Jessica Rothert in Jobsite's And Baby Make Seven. (Photo by Brian Smallheer.)

Media

Cast & Crew

  • Karla Hartley – Director
  • Xylina Golding – Stage Manager

Cast

  • Alison Burns – Anna
  • David M. Jenkins – Peter
  • Jessica Rothert – Ruth

Crew

  • Scott Cooper – Scenic Designer
  • Karla Hartley – Lighting Designer
  • Betty-Jane Parks – Graphic Designer
  • Katrina Stevenson – Costume Designer

Patron Reviews

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