‘Baby: The Musical’ a bundle of joy on Lake Forest stage

There is always a group of grandparents and parents nationwide anxiously awaiting the arrival of bundles of joy. There was the baby boomer generation and there is offspring nicknamed “COVID babies” who were conceived or born during the pandemic.

“Baby: The Musical” explores having a baby or thinking about it at three different ages through the lens of three very different couples. In addition to the strengths of the six leads, the use of the ensemble by director Scott Shallenbarger is energetic and clever.

Much of the story is told through song, almost like a mini operetta, which plays to the strength of the cast whose vocal talents are off the charts. While the book and lyrics have shades of the 1980s, when the show was conceived and written, the story of a young couple with an unexpected pregnancy, a couple with fertility issues and an older couple who think they are on the brink of empty nesting translates to present day.

For many in the audience, it is reminiscent of a time gone by when having babies and raising children is so fraught with exhaustion and action that you barely have time to let it all sink in.

For many, it is a beautiful glance back at those times and the bittersweetness of the fleeting moments of being parents of an infant.

The cast has excellent vocal skills, so much so that it is difficult to single out individual players. Nevertheless, the talents of Madison Jaffe-Richter (playing Lizzie, the young college student) and Mark Yacullo (playing Nick, the husband of the couple experiencing the pain of fertility issues) are top-notch. They both sing with their souls.

The beautiful ballads of “The Story Goes On” (featuring Lizzie and the entire ensemble) and “Patterns” (sung by Julie Bayer playing Arlene) are emotional and spot on. At the top of Act II, the jazzy female ensemble song “The Ladies Singing Their Song” draws you back into the show and provides some comic relief.

The lighting design by Jodi Williams and music direction by Roger Bingaman tie the piece together and honor the thematic lyrics.

Audiences can experience “baby fever” at Citadel this spring through May 19.

(Run time is two hours and 45 minutes, including intermission.)

• Mary Beth Euker is a founding director of Cricket Theatre Company in Lake Zurich, has appeared in shows at Devonshire Theatre in Skokie and Woodstock Opera House and directs at Lake Zurich Middle School North and Spencer Loomis Elementary.

IF YOU GO

• WHAT: “Baby: The Musical”

• WHERE: Citadel Theatre, 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest

• WHEN: Through May 19

• COST: Tickets start at $40

• INFORMATION: www.citadeltheatre.org, 847-735-8554