![](https://www.sardinesmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Babies_workshop-175-Photography-by-Lidia-Crisafulli-jpg.webp)
Show: Babies
Society: London (professional shows)
Venue: Lyric Theatre, 29 Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 7ES
Credits: by Jack Godfrey & Martha Geelan. (concert Version)
Type: Sardines
Author: Paul Johnson
Performance Date: 10/11/2023
Babies
Paul Johnson | 11 Nov 2023 15:59pm
Rehearsal photo: Lidia Crisafulli
I thoroughly enjoyed this semi-staged concert of The brand-new musical. Thank goodness fo the website or I wouldn’t have been able to name anybody.
The cast-list: Leah (Shakira Riddell-Morales), Grace (Chloe Bell), Toby (Morgan Phillips), Ben (Christian Maynard), Alex (Ashley Goh), Jasmine (Lauren Conroy), Lulu (Lucy Carter), Jacob (Jacob Dachtler) and Becky (Jaina Brock-Patel) is made up of young performerswho all have done wonderful job of learing their respective role and coupled it with plenty of business which had the packed press night audience laughing at Jack Godfrey (Music) and Martha Geelan’s (Book) show. I suspect that several cast members may still be at Drama School they were that young.
The plot centres around them all being given a state-of-the-art electronic baby each to care for and nurture for several months from achool (they are all of school age so it’s good that they’re young. In fact the were droves of drama schools in the audience. Lo! and behold, we get all of the various pubesent teenage anxts throughout the evening which are delivered through the catchy song list. This covers sexulity and orientation (both genders), general life as a teenager and friendship. The climax of the evening sees all nine cast members disposing of their babies over the cliff and into the sea below. The show’s poetic nature stops the class from handing back the babies directly to their teacher in question (they probably weren’t cheap!).
As mentioned, Jack Godfrey’s music is very catchy and of the punk/rock/pop era. before the show Teenage Dirtbag was playing, aptly. The style took me back to Greenday’s American Idiot which toured the UK several years ago. Lastly – not that they enjoy any credits on the show website – is the professional 5-piece band who, I believe, didn’t miss a note. Mixed with the 2023 West End sound quality and the accompanyment was superb. The highlight is propbably the boy band-style number, Hot Dad, which is reprised towards the end of the show.
![](https://www.sardinesmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Babies_workshop-175-Photography-by-Lidia-Crisafulli-jpg.webp)
Rehearsal photo: Lidia Crisafulli