I have had the pleasure of working on several Ken Ludwig plays over the years. They are funny and fast and farcical. When I discovered Be My Baby, I expected whooshing pace and mistaken identities and slamming doors (which, I confess, are not my favorite form of storytelling). Ludwig does those things very well but sometimes those are a bit frenetic for my preference of complicated characters and relationship driven pieces.
Be My Baby turns out to be a love story instead. Now that doesn’t mean there isn’t much comedy and even a few slammed doors (or at least some stompy exits out doorframes on our set). But Ludwig admits that this one was different even for him. It was originally written for his children to show a parent’s love for his children. In interviews, Ludwig discovered that the characters of Maud and John were very similar to his own parents, which I imagine deepened his affinity for this play.
I will always remember the breathtaking love that enveloped me when I first saw my son and daughter so I was immediately drawn to the characters’ reactions to baby Miranda. Exploring that relationship and what happened to the people involved in Ludwig’s world with our great cast was an opportunity to reflect on what those commitments to child and spouse can mean.
And once we figured out how to make the baby cry and how to make it stop, the rest was easy. Sort of like being a parent, I suppose.
Thanks for coming and enjoy the show,
Suzanne Maloney
Performance Dates and Times:
January 23, 24, 30, and 31, 2015 and February 6 and 7, 2015 at 8 PM, and February 1 ad 8, 2015 at 2 PM.
At Vienna Theatre Company performing at The Vienna Community Center – 120 Cherry Street, SE, in Vienna, VA.
Ticket prices: General Admission is $14.00
Tickets are available to purchase in advance at The Vienna Community Center, or at the door.
To reserve tickets email [email protected].
For more information: visit our website.
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Ken Ludwig’s ‘Be My Baby’ Opens on January 23, 2015 at Vienna Theatre Company by Laura Fargotstein.
