Review: BABY THE MUSICAL: IN CONCERT Planned Parenthood Benefit at 54 Below
A 3/17 concert to benefit Planned Parenthood, directed by the show's composer Richard Maltby Jr.
What could be better than a concert reading of Baby to benefit Planned Parenthood? Theatergoers gathered on Tuesday March 17, 2026 for two shows (7 and 9:30 pm) to hear Baby’s score sung by a wonderful cast including Kate Baldwin, Aeja L. Barrows, Jordan Kai Burnett, Caitlin Kinnunen, JJ Neimann, Graham Rowat, and company. Richard Maltby Jr. himself directed, reading the outline of a revised book between full performances of every song in the show. The principals and ensemble ably handled Maltby and Shire’s sumptuous score with vocal perfection.
Real-life couple Kate Baldwin and Graham Rowat played the oldest couple in the show, a pair who thought they were about to be empty nesters until learning they’re pregnant again. Baldwin sang with wonderful nuance; the audience leaned in to her heartfelt rendition of “Patterns.” The pair had the standout number of the night, the bittersweet but high-energy “And What If We Had Loved Like That?”, capturing all the complicated feelings the song conveys about what long-term, steady love looks like over 20-plus years.
Aeja L. Barrows and JJ Neimann were great as Lizzy and Danny, the couple still in college when they get the unexpected news that Lizzy is pregnant. Barrows really sells Lizzy’s excitement at the pregnancy in “What Could Be Better,” and Danny quickly gets on board. Barrows’ strong soprano and joyful stage presence was another standout of the night. All of the ensemble members get the chance to shine on fun group numbers like "The Fatherhood Blues" and "The Ladies Singing Their Song." (The ensemble included John Amalfitano, Ashia Collins, Catherine DeLuce, Zach Kropp, Katelyn Lauria, MK McDonald, Davey Miller and Brody Redman.)
Jordan Kai Burnett and Caitlin Kinnunen play the third couple, struggling with infertility, reimagined as a same-sex couple. They played their parts with genuine love and affection for each other. In this version, their characters are re-imagined as a same-sex couple. Maltby explained at the beginning of the night that Baby takes place in the present, so they had partially revised some of the songs and plot to bring Baby into the 21st century. I saw an earlier concert of this new version of Baby by Out of the Box Theatrics about three years ago and it was interesting to see some of the small tweaks made since then, some of which made the revisions flow a little better. I still think that some of the revisions they made take something away from Baby more than they add to it – most poignantly in the “Romance” trio, which has gone from a comedic ballad about “appointment sex” to conceive to a song about IVF injections, thereby losing most of the humor (no one thinks IVF is particularly romantic) – but the core of the show is still an absolute treasure and delight to listen to, and the sold-out audience at 54 Below was more than appreciative. It was also lovely to hear the interstitial transition numbers that aren’t on the original album. (You can hear them on the new 2023 cast album.)
I'll admit that when I saw the show's event listing, I thought how appropriate it was as a Planned Parenthood benefit – but then as the show opens with the extremely young Danny and Lizzy deciding to keep a baby they had through failed contraception, I questioned it. Baby isn’t exactly anti-abortion, but it feels like a very pro-life show. However, the more I listened to the score, the more I realized how perfect of a choice it was. Even though none of the characters in Baby consider having an abortion very long or very seriously, the show celebrates the journey of three couples who deeply want their babies (even if there is some doubt or mixed feelings, it’s clear that they all get joyously on board with their pregnancies in the exuberant “Baby, Baby, Baby”). The flip side of that, of course, is celebrating people’s right to choose when and how they want to have a baby, at least to the extent that science allows. (And even though Planned Parenthood is heavily associated with contraception and abortion services, they also offer pre- and post-natal care and other services for people trying to have babies.) We don't really touch much on abortion, but Baby goes through the other outcomes of a pregnancy: a birth, a miscarriage, and learning you had a false positive. One of the final songs in the night is Burnett and Kinnunen’s poignant rendition of “With You,” in which the couple grapples with the reality that they may never have a child, followed by Lizzy and Danny's joy and trepidation as Lizzy gives birth in the finale.
Baby the Musical in Concert, produced by Robert W. Schneider, left me, and I’m sure everyone in the audience, humming Maltby & Shire’s iconic score.
Learn more about Maltby & Shire’s new show, About Time, playing through April 5 at the Marjorie Dean Little Theater here and get tickets to that show on the theater’s website here.
Find more upcoming shows at 54 Below on their website here.
Reader Reviews
Videos