Custom Made Theatre Making Sense of Albee’s Controversial Play

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ByEmma Krasov

EdwardAlbee’s 1996 “The Play About the Baby”operates with some timeless references everyone can relate to – a young love, astolen baby – and with others, not evoking too much empathy, like gypsiesstealing their victims’ life savings and babies, or a Watteau-style painter hanginghimself upon a break-up with his lover/model. Maybe it’s because the latterreferences reek of urban legends dated, like, a century ago? The stuff youdon’t even hear in the news… like, ever. But, of course, after “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” PulitzerPrizes and Tony Awards the author can pull off anything, including the absurdistmish-mash suspended over time, place, or social identifiers.   To the honor of Custom Made Theatre, the play, directed by Brian Katz and performed by a small but multi-talented ensemble, isa total attention-grabber which leaves audiences satisfactory discontent withthe plot development and eager to discuss, argue, take sides, and make points,which is always a good indication of a theatre production well done andproperly delivered. RichardAiello (Man) makes his characterexceedingly believable despite the total lack of written background thischaracter presumably comes from. We see and listen to the man – well-educated,sarcastic, manipulative, and thoroughly engaging, who masters total command of boththe other characters and the audience. Since the show is happening on theintimate tiny stage of the Gough Street Playhouse located in a church basement,the immediacy of the happening is palpable.  AnyaKazimierski (Girl) delivers a very realisticperformance of a wonderfully uncharacteristic young wife and mother whose onlyrole in the play or in her life is to be a young wife and mother, sometimesmixing up the two sides of her role to the author’s specifications. LindaAyres-Frederick (Woman) might look like overdoingit at times, but come to think of it her role is written with so many inexplicabledetails – character traits, life circumstances, and means of expressing those –that any far-fetched and not too exciting stretches might be just what thisrole requires.   ShaneRhoades (Boy) could have benefited from betterenunciation (or, rather, the audience would have benefited from it) butotherwise he is very much fit for the role of a young husband enormously enamoredand engaged with his wife and “hard all the time” to put it in author’s ownwords chosen for this character.  Speaking of fit, the full frontalnudity scenes involving Boy’s and Girl’s foreplay and lovemaking are so perfectlyinoffensive – almost sterile, which is a good thing – especially on a small stage!If you as an audience member are subjected to the onstage nudity it better be performedby such fit and smooth bodies as belong to the abovementioned young actors. Very appropriate costumes and props forthe play were created by Maxx Kurzunski, scenic design by Sarah Phykitt,lighting design by Dena Burd, original composition by Liz Ryder, fightchoreography by Jon Bailey. Stage manager Colin Johnson.   The Theatre issues Nudity andLanguage Alert for The Play About the Baby which is intended for adultaudiences. The show runs through October 14. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at8:00 p.m.; Sunday at 7:00 p.m. at the Gough Street Playhouse, 1620 Gough Streetin San Francisco.Additional information at: www.custommade.org/the-baby.