Crowder play opens tonight

Crowder College's Nevada students will present the absurdist comedy, "Baby with the Bathwater," at the CCPA Fox Playhouse on Nov. 18 and 19, at 7:30 each night.

The play is written by Christopher Durang, who is known for his works of outrageous and often absurd comedies. Admission to the play, rated for mature audiences, is free with donations taken at the door. The play is not appropriate for children due to strong language and mature themes.

"Baby with the Bathwater" was presented Off-Broadway during the 1980s and then revived again in 2002 for an Off-Off Broadway show in New York City. Sylviane Gold of the Wall Street Journal wrote, "Mr. Durang is one of our theater's brightest hopes -- he knows how to write funny plays, which makes him a rarity. In Baby with the Bathwater, he manages to combine all three modes: farce, satire, good-humored wackiness ... Durang keeps laughter bubbling... We laugh and gasp at the same time."

As the play begins, Helen Dingleberry, played by Johnna McFalls, and her husband John (Dustin Houghkirk) gaze proudly at their new offspring, a bit disappointed that it doesn't speak English and too polite to check its sex. So they decide that the child is a girl and name it Daisy -- which leads to all manner of future emotional and personality problems when it turns out that Daisy (Kyle Armstrong) is actually a boy.

Thereafter, in a series of brilliantly theatrical and wildly hilarious scenes, the saga of Daisy's struggle to establish his identity continues, despite his parents' growing obliviousness. At the outset there is a zany nanny (Julie Moore) who gives him a lethal toy to play with and a disturbed pregnant mother (Jennifer Turner) who kidnaps the baby for a trip to Florida.

Daisy as a toddler plays in the park, while his mother and two other women (Emily Mader and Aimee Nelson) discuss how oddly he behaves as they watch their own children play.

Daisy's elementary school teacher (Emily Mader) consults the school principal (Jennifer Turner) about his bizarre problems to no avail. Finally, the audience actually meets Daisy in a scene which depicts several sessions with his analyst (Blake Hoselton) which enables him, at last, to accept his maleness and stop wearing dresses.

In the end, the play comes full circle as the former Daisy and his young bride (Kayla Burnham) fondly regard their own baby -- forgiving of the past but determined not to repeat its calamitous mistakes.

The play is student directed by Taylor Hackleman and Kayla Burnham. The technical crew consists of Brandee Yost, Emma Copenhaver, Courtney Barbour and other students from the Introduction to Theatre class. Gary Wimmer, instructor, serves as the producer for the play.