Cry Baby: The Musical, by John Waters, is opening Friday, April 10th at Cohoes Music Hall. The performance is a rockabilly musical adaptation of the cult classic by Walter, creating a satire that resonates with its audience.
Playhouse Stage Company is entering its 38th season with Cry Baby: The Musical as one of its first performances.
The musical is set in Baltimore in 1954 and follows the story of Wade “Cry-Baby” Walker, an orphan leading a gang of misfit outcasts, the Drapes. Wade “Cry-Baby” and his gang are focused on rebelling against society’s attempt to force conformity when Wade and Allison Vernon-Williams, a girl who is the epitome of conformity, fall in love.
The musician is a campy satire that challenges conformist thinking that believes the world is a better place when everyone thinks and acts the same. The musician also places their love story in a historical context against the backdrop of the polio anxiety and Cold War anxieties.
The musical features music by Adam Schlesinger and lyrics by David Javerbaum. It premiered in 2006 on Broadway and earned Tony Award nominations for Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Original Score.
Owen Smith, the PSC Producing Artistic Director, stated, “We chose this show before the world started feeling quite so much like 1954, but here we are. Cry Baby is hilarious, but it also has real teeth and something valuable to say. John Waters has always understood that conformity and fear go hand in hand, and that the people most eager to tell you what’s dangerous are often the most dangerous in the room. Whether it’s ‘polio shots’ or vaccine skepticism, duck-and-cover drills or genuine fears of nuclear war, this show holds up a funhouse mirror to America and asks: have we actually changed in seventy years? We think audiences are going to laugh a lot, and maybe recognize our modern discourse in the action on stage.”
The choreography and musical staging is led by Ashley Simone Kirchner with Brandon Jones musically directing and leading the on-stage rockabilly band. In addition, Chuck Kraus directs the musical as the PSC managing director. Ashley Simone Kirckner, Brandon Jones, and Chuck Kraus have worked together before on the production of last season’s Heathers: The Musical.
The season will later feature productions of Footloose: The Musical, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and 13: The Musical.
Performances for Cry Baby: The Musical begin Friday, April 10th, and will run through April 26th. The season offers 7:30 pm performances Thursday through Saturday and 2 pm matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets and more information are available here.
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