SPOTLIOGHT: Theater Arts has a bizarre 'Baby'

Sometimes, there are more important things than privacy. The upcoming play Baby with the Bathwater centers around two parents who take their child's privacy so seriously that they refuse to look between the baby's legs to determine whether it is a boy or a girl. They subsequently raise the child as a girl without ever positively determining whether it actually is one. The mother sorely wants to have a baby girl, so they refuse to even acknowledge that the child may be a boy. Psychology Professor Henry Gleitman, the play's director, said that in directing the play, he has chosen to ignore any social messages that have been written into it, concentrating instead on the making the play a pure farce. "It probably has a message, but I am not sure what the message is," Gleitman said. The play is set in the couple's apartment, but the cast and director declined to disclose details of the set and props, saying that they wanted to surprise the audience. Wharton junior Jen Platzkere, who plays the mother, said that the play is "so hilarious, yet so sad." She said that the show is a "riot," but added that the audience will sympathize with the characters because they are "very real, down to earth." Marcie Levine, a College freshman who plays four different roles in the play, said the play shows "the other side of life" -- it allows the characters to discuss things people often think about but rarely express. Gleitman, however, disagreed. "[The play has] no redeeming social message whatsoever," the psychology professor said. The play has eleven characters, but they are played by just five actors, as several of the actors perform multiple roles. Platzkere said that the small cast size has several advantages -- it enables the cast to be very close and work well together. "This is fun theater," Platzkere said. Gleitman proudly added that the play is "very strong." The play, written by contemporary American playwright Christopher Durnag, will open next Wednesday, April 3 in the Annenberg Center's Studio Theatre. Durnag is most famous for writing the play Sister Mary Ignaius. Tickets for the show will be on sale on Locust Walk. There will be four performances, running Wednesday through Saturday, April 6, each night at 8 p.m. There will also be a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m.

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