by Jess Hoffman
If you’re looking to transport yourself to a time of culture wars, class disparity, overseas conflict, and a deadly epidemic—as opposed to our current time of culture wars, class disparity, overseas conflict, and a deadly epidemic—come to the Cohoes Music Hall to see the Playhouse Stage Company production of Cry-Baby, a rollicking good-time romantic comedy rock musical set in the 1950s. Despite the name, and the setting, Cry-Baby will make you laugh out loud. From polio vaccine picnics to country club bomb shelters to makeshift jamborees, Cry-Baby takes its audiences on a stylized, satirical, and very funny journey through the lives of an eclectic array of teenagers from a time long ago (and yet so very recognizable to modern audiences).
If there is one thing that makes the 1950s instantly recognizable and distinct, it’s the fashion. Costume designer Danica Martino has styled the entire cast of Cry-Baby in costumes that set the scene. From the upper-crust teen squares, to the gang of punks, to the leading lady’s particularly stuffy grandmother, all characters are outfitted in styles that look like they belong on a vintage advertisement. Martino deserves special kudos for the leading lady’s Act 1 polkadot mini-dress and her grandmother’s array of ostentatious hats, but all the costumes are fabulous without exception. The set is bare-bones, but large banners across the backdrop and posters painted on the sidelines for military recruitment and polio vaccines help transport the audiences to 1954 as well.
The cast and ensemble are wonderful overall, and all deserve special accolades for pulling off some challenging and very high energy choreography under the direction of choreographer AshleySimone Kirchner. The energy and sincerity of the cast is commendable and essential, because it’s a large part of what makes Cry-Baby’s satire work so well.
Molly Kirby plays leading lady Allison Vernon-Williams, a good girl from an upper-class family with a rebellious streak. Aidan Echeandia plays Wade “Cry-Baby” Walker, an orphaned teenage bad boy with a heart of gold. When Cry-Baby’s gang shows up at an anti-polio picnic run by Allison’s grandmother and a group of the self-proclaimed teenage “squares,” Cry-Baby and Allison have their meet-cute, and the audience knows they are in for a whirlwind romance. It’s a well-worn plot that anyone who has even the slightest exposure to forbidden-love romantic comedies will recognize. But those with little patience for a predictable romance need not worry, because Cry-Baby has enough tongue-in-cheek humor to keep the more cynical theatergoers captivated.
Kirby and Echeandia are both excellent performers individually and as a duo, but there are a few secondary characters that steal the show. First and foremost is Allison’s grandmother, played by Ellen Cribbs with over-the-top pretension to great comedic effect. There is also the infatuated and out-of-her-mind Lenora, who is hilarious even in her most unhinged moments thanks to the comedic timing of Mika Holbrook. Finally, Jackson Majewski plays Baldwin Blandish, a teenage square and leader of the talented but irritatingly proper vocal group, The Whiffles. Majewski’s performance at times made me genuinely hope a nuclear bomb would drop directly onto him; I say this as praise for someone playing a thoroughly irritating antagonist.
With a stellar cast, wonderful energy, and a perfect combination of romance and comedy, Cry-Baby is a hilarious, energetic, and over-the-top love story with just enough biting humor to balance out its familiar and predictable plot. Cry-Baby is nothing novel and nothing profound, but it isn’t supposed to be. Theatergoers looking for a fun and funny, feel-good, laugh-out-loud satire of teen romances will find Cry-Baby to be everything they could ask for.
Playhouse Stage Company presents Cry-Baby by Thomas Meehan & Mark O’Donnell with music and lyrics by Adam Schlesinger & David Javerbaum, directed by Chuck Kraus, runs from April 10-26, 2026, at the Cohoes Music Hall, 58 Remsen Street in Cohoes, NY. Musical direction by Brandon Jones. Choreography & Musical staging by AshleySimone Kirchner. Cast: Ellen Cribbs as Mrs. Vernon-Williams, Molly Kirby as Allison Vernon-Williams, Jackson Majewski as Baldwin Blandish, Aidan Echeandia as Wade “Cry-Baby” Walker, Mika Holbrook as Lenora, Jeremy Cintron-Ortiz as Dupree W. Dupree, Emmett Mazurowski, Evan Muench, and Jonah Wood as The Whiffles, Harper Silvestri as Pepper Walker, Evelia Echandy as Wanda Woodward, Kat Beaulac as Mona Malnorowski, Jack Hollick as Skippy Wagstaff, and David Baecker as Judge Igneous Stone & Fr. Officer O’Brien. Ensemble: Charlotte Baecker, Andrew Calvacca, Hayden Chenette, Ella Dane Morgan, Aurora Garcia, Italia Garcia, Sophie Geis, Bella Pelton, Amaya Purrott, Jesse Ruiz, and Luca Verner. Scenic design by Benny Pitt. Costume design by Danica Martino. Lighting design by David Heguy. Properties design by Casey Martiniano. Sound design by Ray Stokes. Production stage management by Gabi Bazinet -Douglas. Production management by Emma Cunningham.
Performance dates are Thursday-Sunday. Thursday, Friday, curtains are at 7:30pm, Saturday curtains are 2:00pm and 7:30pm, and Sundays are matinees only at 2:00pm. Tickets are $45 for adults, $35 for seniors 65 and up, and $25 for youth under 18. Runs approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes with one intermission. Contains violence, teen pregnancy, and general teenage delinquency. Recommended for ages 13+. Tickets are available online at https://www.thecohoesmusichall.org/events/2026/cry-baby, by phone at 518-434-0776, or at the door for any performance.