Four Corners Musical Theatre Company prepares to open new season with 'Baby! The Musical'

As New Mexico’s only professional musical theater troupe, the Four Corners Musical Theatre Company in Farmington occupies a unique spot on the state’s cultural scene, as it showcases a contingent of full-time, professional actors from around the country in four to five productions each year.

But Randy West, the company’s founder and director, said it’s always been important for the company to feature strong local representation, as well — something he’s been building toward for several years as the company prepares to open its fifth season this week.

“Out of a cast of 12 (actors), eight are local,” West said, referring to the company’s season-opening production of “Baby! The Musical” that starts a two-week run Thursday, March 21 at the Farmington Civic Center. “That’s great for helping us grow roots more and more into this community.”

West said he’s gratified by the way the community has embraced the company since it mounted its first production in the fall of 2019, when he brought in five veteran, professional performers with credits from shows from all over the U.S. to anchor that inaugural season.

Those five established the tone for the company, setting a high bar for quality that has been maintained since that time. But West said he regularly was asked if the company’s shows were going to feature slots for local actors, as well.

With “Baby! The Musical,” West said no one should feel the need to ask that question anymore.

“The answer is, ‘Yes, right now,’” he said.

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This isn’t the first show West has produced in Farmington that had a strong local flavor among the cast, as the company’s annual summertime production at the Lions Wilderness Park Amphitheater is typically an elaborate affair with a huge cast, one typically rounded out with dozens of local actors.

But West said the company’s annual springtime show at the Civic Center is usually a smaller production, one for which he has relied heavily on seasoned professionals in the past.

This year, he said, it wasn’t necessary for him to do that, explaining that his goal for the company all along has been to train local actors well enough so that they could slide in alongside their professional counterparts and hold their own. After four years, West said he feels like he has reached that point with his local talent.

The cast for “Baby!” features two holdovers from that original company roster, Matt Aaron and Margaret Clair, as well as Sarah Harkness, Sean McCall, Emma Price and Gareth West among the principal actors. The ensemble roles are being filled by Christopher Dietrich, Amber Glasgow, Jordan Grant, Melissa Stewart, Amber Swenk and Daniel West.

Many of the ensemble cast members are performing multiple parts, meaning everyone in the show has plenty to do, West said. He described “Baby!” as a show that features plenty of dialogue, thus requiring more straightforward acting than a lot of musicals, which involve primarily singing and dancing.

West said his cast members have proven themselves up to the task, noting that the chemistry between the three male-female couples in the show — each of whom is expecting a child — runs deep.

“They not only sing well and perform well, but they can all act,” he said. “You can see how comfortable they are with each other.”

Ideally, he said, a director should be able to coax so much energy from his or her actors in the delivery of their dialogue that it requires only one step up begin singing. West calls that dynamic “informed performances,” and he said he feels like that’s exactly what he’s getting from his principal actors in “Baby!”

“You can see it behind their eyes,” he said. “ … We don’t leave the theater part our of musical theater.”

West acknowledged that the relatively unknown “Baby! The Musical” is a bit of a departure from the fare the Four Corners Musical Theatre Company has presented in the past, which has tended to focus more on shows with far higher name recognition.

“There are so many things I’ve learned about Farmington, and one of the things I’ve learned is, familiarity breeds ticket sales,” he said of public response to the roster of shows he has chosen over the last four years.

With “Baby!,” West is hoping he has established enough of a relationship with local theater patrons to gain their trust and convince them to see a show they may know nothing about.

He’s already received plenty of positive feedback from theater professionals around the country have reached out to West to express their delight that he chose the show for Farmington. “Baby!” is widely considered an underappreciated, ambitious production, one that tests the limits of any cast.

“It gives a significant challenge to our professional company, and they all know it,” he said. “But they’re all up for it, and that’s a good reason to choose it, I think.”

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West has been involved in one previous production of the show, but that was early in his career when he was working in Phoenix. He said “Baby!” was written in the 1980s and features that decade’s musical sensibilities and a degree of adult subject matter, given its focus on how the three couples at different stages of life react to their impending parenthood.

“’Sweeney Todd’ and ‘Rocky Horror’ were more adult, too,” West said, referring to two previous Four Corners Musical Theatre Company productions that strayed into more adventurous territory but were nevertheless well received in Farmington.

West said that doesn’t mean “Baby!” automatically could be considered inappropriate for children, but he described the show as PG rated or perhaps even PG-13. His decision to open the company’s fifth season with “Baby!” reflects his belief that local audiences are ready for something more challenging, along with his actors.

“We want them to understand the full range of musicals,” he said, noting that the spectrum extends far beyond shows such as “The Music Man.” “So when you can, you take a shot like this. Hopefully, the audience has gotten to know us well enough that they’ll come along for the ride.”

“Baby! The Musical” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 21 through Saturday, March 23 and at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 24 at the Farmington Civic Center, 200 W. Arrington St. It continues with 7:30 p.m. performances Thursday, March 28 through Saturday, March 30. Tickets are $28 for adults, $24 for seniors and members of the military, and $14 for students. Visit fmtn.org/shows or call 505-599-1148.

Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.

This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: "Baby! The Musical" will be performed for two weeks in Farmington