STAGE REVIEW : Civic Playhouse’s ‘Baby’ Scores as a Valentine for Yuppies

In the program for Costa Mesa Civic Playhouse’s “Baby,” director Craig V. Fenter describes the musical this way: “Babies are cute. Babies are fun. Babies are charming. One would expect a show called ‘Baby’ to be the same. But . . . ‘Baby’ is a show about realism (and) life and death issues that touch at the core of human existence.”

That’s one interpretation. Another is that “Baby,” cynicism aside, is a precious and fairly naive flattering of parenthood--bringing up baby as the fullest of full experiences, a valentine for Yuppies with a mind toward procreation.

It’s the flip side of Christopher Durang’s twisted slap at babydom, “Baby With the Bathwater,” recently staged at Orange Coast College just a few blocks away from the Costa Mesa playhouse.

To be sure, Sybille Pearson’s 1978 show does aim for a realistic edge in places. The three couples the audience is asked to follow--all white, all middle-class, by the way--do have some big problems along the way. Mid-life crisis brought into focus by a surprise pregnancy, a low sperm count that makes conception difficult and the possibility of abortion come up.

But as spryly as they surface, they are just as spryly resolved, all to an effervescent but redundant score that rarely finds the downbeat. We’re supposed to root for these folks all the way through, and Pearson can’t let the home team come up short on any score.

Pearson has organized “Baby” into sort of a three stages of man, at least from a fertility standpoint: the youngest couple, Danny and Lizzie (Brian Harvey and Ann Milton),are about 20; the next couple, Nick and Pam (Grant E. Crowl and Pat Boldt), are around 30, and Alan and Arlene (Bil Barratt and Marisa Froton) are in their early 40s.

Each, of course, has a different attitude about having a baby, all reflecting their places in the world. Danny and Lizzie, both college students, are giddy about the idea but aren’t sure what the impact will be; they’re kids about to have a kid.

Nick and Pam, more settled, can’t wait to have one, even though Nick keeps shooting blanks. The most interesting couple is Alan and Arlene, who now must decide whether having another family (their other children are in college) is such a good idea at this stage in their lives.

There are many times when Fenter’s direction is annoyingly upbeat--even the infrequent somber moments have optimistic shadings--but, in his defense, he does keep faith with the musical’s general tone. Still, the few bits of grit Pearson tosses in, as when Nick and Pam go through an absurdly complicated ritual to ensure his meek sperm have a chance to find the target, don’t have the satire they could.

His cast plays it all pretty bouncy, too, often going overboard. But the voices are generally good, with varying degrees of technique and talent. Milton and Harvey usually shine the brightest. Fred Genge pleases in a brief appearance as a hyper obstetrician with faulty eyesight and an even faultier bedside manner.

‘BABY’

A Costa Mesa Civic Playhouse production of Sybille Pearson’s musical. Directed by Craig V. Fenter. With Brian Harvey, Ann Milton, Grant E. Crowl, Pat Boldt, Bil Barratt, Marisa Froton, Debby Steele, Fred Genge, Candace Roberts, Jason Record, Daniel Gonzalez, Mary-Pat Gonzalez, Pat Sort de Sanz and Deborah Hartwick. Set by Eugene MacDonald. Lighting by Tim Northcott and Howard Van Arsdale. Sound by Jim Bell. Conductor Pat Copeland. Plays Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., through Oct. 1 at 661 Hamilton St., Costa Mesa. Tickets: $12.50 to $15. Information: (714) 650-5269.