The Play About the Baby

The Play About the Baby
The poster for the first American production
Written by	Edward Albee
Characters	The Man The Woman The Boy The Girl
Date premiered	1998 (1998-MM)
Place premiered	Malvern Theatres Malvern, Worcestershire
Original language	English

The Man
The Woman
The Boy

The Play About the Baby is a play by Edward Albee.

The play premiered in London in September 1998 at the Almeida Theatre Company in Malvern, Worcestershire, directed by Howard Davies.

The play's American premiere was in Houston, Texas at the Alley Theatre in April to June 2000. Directed by Albee, the cast was Rebecca Harris - Girl, David Burtka - Boy, Earle Hyman - Man, and Marian Seldes - Woman.

The play opened Off-Broadway at the Century Center for the Performing Arts, running from February 1, 2001 to September 1, 2001. David Esbjornson directed. The play won the 2000-2001 Obie Award, Performance (Brian Murray). It was nominated for the 2001 Outer Critics Circle Award, Outstanding Actress in a Play (Marian Seldes) and 2001 Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Play, Outstanding Actress (Marian Seldes) and Outstanding Actor (Brian Murray).

The play was a finalist for the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

The play opens in a version of Eden, with the Boy and Girl, who is pregnant. The Girl gives birth to the baby. Soon, a middle-aged couple, the Man and Woman appear. The Woman states that she is not an actress, but she is "a trifle theatrical." The Man and Woman tell anecdotes and speak directly to the audience, asking for their opinion on various matters. While the Man talks about his thoughts on religion, such as the Sermon on the Mount, the Woman translates into sign language. They say they are there to take the baby away. Boy asks who they are, wondering if they might be Gypsies. As the play ends, the Man shows them that the blanket that held the baby is empty.