Out of the Box Theatrics' Off-Broadway site-specific revival of David Shire, Richard Maltby, Jr., and Sybille Pearson's Baby will release a cast recording via Yellow Sound Label in 2022. The release date has not yet been announced. The album will be more complete than the show's original Broadway cast album and will include never-before-recorded material.
The cast will comprise performers from both the 2019 and 2021 Off-Broadway runs of Baby, with Christina Sajous as Pam, Gabrielle McClinton as Nicki, Julia Murney as Arlene, Robert H. Fowler as Alan, Elizabeth Flemming as Lizzie, and Johnny Link as Danny. Jorge Donoso, Marisa Kirby, Jewell Noel, and Ethan Paulini will comprise the ensemble.
The work, which features music by Shire, lyrics by Maltby, and a book by Pearson, follows three couples of various ages dealing with impending parenthood. Premiering on Broadway in 1983, the score includes such favorites as "I Want It All," "I Chose Right," and "The Story Goes On."
The new album will reflect updates that were made to the show for the Off-Broadway runs. Middle-aged couple Nick and Pam have been transformed into same-sex couple Nicki and Pam, looking to conceive through IVF. This shift was made with writing advisor and IVF researcher Anthony Anello, and following interviews with same-sex couples conducted by Maltby. Additionally, Lizzie and Danny have been rewritten as legally blind and partially deaf, respectively, inspired by the real-life experiences of Out of the Box Founding Producing Artistic Director Elizabeth Flemming, who is legally blind and grew up with disabled parents.
“We wrote Baby in 1983, and since then the entire universe has changed,” says lyricist and original director Maltby. “Revisiting and updating the show has been very exciting, and even with the updates, the process made us realize the heart of the show hasn’t aged at all. I am thrilled to have this new recording to document the show for 2022.”
Out of the Box's Baby was directed and choreographed by Out of the Box Associate Artistic Director Ethan Paulini. The album will feature music supervision by Geoffrey Ko and is produced by Michael Croiter, Maltby, and Ko. Out of the Box Theatrics serves as executive producer.
