Review of the Broadway musical 'Cry-Baby'

Cry-Baby was fantastic. I really like the original movie, and I enjoyed the Broadway version of Hairspray, so I had high hopes for this show and I wasn't disappointed. From the opening when we were told to turn our cell phones off to the final number, the show kept me smiling.

Just like the film, Cry-Baby takes place in Baltimore in the 50s. Allison is a good girl, a "Square", who wants to be bad. Cry-Baby is a popular juvenile delinquent, a "Drake". He's called Cry-Baby because he never cried another tear after his parents were sent to the electric chair for being Communist spies. Cry-Baby swears his parents were innocent and some day he will prove it. He and Allison bump into each other at the Anti-Polio Picnic and are instantly attracted. He breaks into her country club to get her to come to Turkey Point, the Drakes' hang out, to listen to him sing. Her boyfriend and her aunt tell her to stay, but she pulls the alarm and runs off to meet Cry-Baby. Although Allison hits it off with Cry-Baby's friends, Pepper, Wanda, and Mona, the evening turns sour when Turkey Point burns down and Cry-Baby is accused of arson. At the trial, Cry-Baby's stalker, Lenore, claims to be carrying his child. Allison feels betrayed as Cry-Baby is hauled off to the juvenile detention center and returns to her safe world. In the end, the lovers are reunited and all is well. There are a few slight variations in the story from the movie to streamline it for stage, but these work just fine.

The music and lyrics are superb. It is all original and uses none from the film. Written by David Javerbaum and Adam Schlesinger, the music captures the sound of the 50s, but the best part was the lyrics. They are clever and funny. The first number? "The Anti-Polio Picnic." The title alone tells you that it's a funny song. Every song was great. They haven't released the CD yet, but as soon as they do, I intend to purchase a copy.

The acting is terrific. Everybody in the cast was very good. Allison’s aunt, Mrs. Vernon-Williams, was played by Harriet Harris. (You might remember her as Frasier’s agent on the TV show Frasier.) She is a wonderful actress and is marvelous in her part. Ms. Harris ably plays the straight Mrs. Vernon-Williams whose hidden secret and desire for Allison's happiness is beginning to cause her to crack. But the standout was Alli Mauzey who played Lenore, Cry-Baby’s stalker. She has a wonderful song, "Screw Loose," which she sings with the heartache and lament of Patsy Cline, and then takes it over the edge. The song is a showstopper.

I loved the sets and the costumes. Large set pieces establish the locations, but flow smoothly in and out for the scene changes. As the set pieces glide on and off stage, members of the ensemble dance to counter it. The scene changes become as much a part of the show as the regular scenes. I particularly liked the set for "Misery, Agony, Helplessness, Hopelessness, Heartache and Woe". The initial set shows Allison on the balcony of her house over the front door. Then the left third of house rotates to become Cry-Baby and Dupree's jail cell when they join in the song. Then the right third of the house rotates to become Pepper, Wanda, and Mona's jail cell as they join in. The song is terrific and the set contributes to these separate groups singing their song of woe. The bright costumes capture the style of the 50s in the best Broadway tradition.

Overall I think Cry-Baby is a great show and everyone will enjoy it. While I don't think it would be interesting for small children, I think it would be fine for kids 11 and up. There are some sexual innuendos and teen pregnancy, but for the most part the show is clean. Really, the worst is the blatant French kissing which is so over the top that it's hysterical. Which pretty much sums up the whole show.