BabyLove
Written and performed by Christen Clifford
Developed with and directed by Julie Kramer
Choreography- Julie Atlas Muz
Sound design- Elizabeth Rhodes
Costume design- Melissa Schlachtmeyer
Artist Bios
“BabyLove is the most important piece of feminist theatre since The Vagina Monologues.”
- kulturevermitterlin
“Smart, sexy and funny... Clifford is a wonderful storyteller and is so funny, and she performs with such truth and authenticity, that by the end no one in the audience doesn’t want to be her little one, two year old son Felix, whom she is still breastfeeding.”
- Mladina, (the Eastern European equivalent of The Village Voice)
BabyLove press photos
Christen Clifford
Interview (mp3)
http://www.cityofwomen.org/2005/en/coweb/portaits/interview-with-christen-clifford
Production History
World Premiere
Mesto Zensk 11/ City Of Women
11th International Festival Of Contemporary Arts
Ljubljana, Slovenia
7-14 October 2005
PDF Links (Opens in new Adobe Acrobat window)
city_of_women_05_catalogue_lowres
copy.pdf
city_of_women_2005_fem_rev_issue_81.pdf
English program
http://www.cityofwomen.org/2005/en/program/mesto-zensk/clifford
Interview (mp3)
http://www.cityofwomen.org/2005/en/coweb/portaits/interview-with-christen-clifford
US Premiere
June 2006 at Center Stage NY Terra Nova Solo Arts Festival
Center Stage NY
New York, NY
June, 8-25, 2006
http://www.terranovacollective.org/SoloArtsFestival.php
in September 2006 at The San Francisco Fringe Festival
http://www.sffringe.org/fringe06/06plays/baby.html
In October 2006 at The Motherlode:
10th Annual conference of The Association for Research on Mothering
York University
Toronto, Canada
http://www.yorku.ca/crm/Conferences/Motherlode%2010th%20anniversary%20conf%20program.htm
Press Feedback
Here’s what they said about BabyLove by Christen Clifford:
"An extremely gifted talent! One of the most original new voices to come
out of New York City in recent years! Her warmth, intelligence and killer
wit allow her to voice ideas and feelings that most people would be afraid
to even admit to, much less put on stage. She wins audiences over every
time by bringing out the humanity in even the most outrageous situations.
People leave her shows understanding themselves better. Plus she is a champion
for sexy mommies everywhere!"
- Catherine Burns, Artistic Director, the Moth
At Mesto Zensk Festival- City of Women, Cankarjev Dom, Ljubljana, Slovenia
BabyLove is the most important piece of feminist theatre since
The Vagina Monologues.
- kulturevermitterlin
Smart, sexy and funny! Clifford is a wonderful storyteller and is so funny,
and she performs with such truth and authenticity, that by the end no one
in the audience doesn’t want to be her little one, two-year-old son
Felix, whom she is still breastfeeding.
Mladina, (the Eastern European equivalent of The Village Voice
At The Third Annual Terra Nova Solo Arts Festival , Center Stage, New York, New York
A wonderfully moving and inspiring performance! Brilliant! It was brave, provocative, truth seeking, wildly entertaining and funny, painfully honest, tender and very moving. We were all blown away. And touched in our own private ways. -Candida Royalle, Filmmmaker and CEO Femme Productions
Christen Clifford’s BabyLove gives a theatrical voice to what has too long been kept secret about sexuality and motherhood. Her stories about being pregnant, giving birth, concerns postpartum, and while breastfeeding reflect a common experience. The pulls and conflicting demands of motherhood are shown not to be at odds with a woman’s sexuality, but an honest part of it. Women will laugh in recognition and men will learn a lot! -Jean Levitan, Ph.D.Professor, and co-author of Healthy Sexuality
Funny, sexy, honest, smart -- and saying things no one else is saying. It's an important -- AND entertaining -- show.” - Wendy Weiner, Best of Fringe Winner for “Give Me Shelter”
I loved BabyLove. The performance is great, the direction is great, the choreography is great, but most of all: the writing is strong, very dramatic and funny and honest. -Tom Cole, True Love Productions, New York
BabyLove is amazing! Afterwards, we had the best conversations about our babes, significant others and our pussies and we owe it all to Christen Clifford.” - Carolina Franco, Williamsburg Mommy
It's a truly hilarious piece of work, just great! And I learned, well, all sorts of stuff that I’m pretty sure I never would have asked about on my own. -Kevin Roche, single man
Christen Clifford has genuine courage in presenting such a splendid piece of work. It should be required viewing for all humans who've ever known anyone who's had a baby (in other words, everybody). It was really wonderful! -Emily Vartanian, The Hourglass Group
Hot Pick of the Week
Girlie NYC:
“Check out our choice for hip theatre – BabyLove. We love rockin’ Williamsburg
mom Christen Clifford’s excellent show about a sexy mommy struggling to
be both sexy and a mommy.”
-Girlie NYC
Pick of The Week
Lauren Cerand’s The Smart Set
BabyLove is “culturally fashion-forward!”
maudnewton.com
Pick of the Week
disinfo.com
“An emotionally charged experience…electrifying!”
-Russ Kick
Selected Nerve.com Reader Feedback "BabyLove" By Christen Clifford
I LOVED this article! …I loved this essay…honest and erotic too…Definitely out there!! …This makes me never want to have kids ever…Raw and interesting and somewhere between boldly honest and a little freaky… intense… candid… Terrific …so crazily brave and sad… Your essay will help educate… A sexy, sweet, provocative confession. ..Compelling and intimate. Brava!… beautifully written, raw and moving…gives new meaning to motherhood… Very very smart… Honest, hilarious, completely revealing.
And then there were the naysayers:
Now, I am pretty sure "What To Expect The First Year" addresses that some women get aroused while breastfeeding. This is probably normal I don't think it's normal for a mother to use her infant child as added stimulation to masturbating. Felix would be better off in daycare 24/7, because he has a much better chance of NOT being molested under the care of someone other than his mother.
Having sexual feelings towards your children is NOT a normal reaction. It just isn't. Christen Clifford needs therapy. Felix will need therapy. Ken needs a divorce and full custody. Abuse is abuse is abuse, even under the guise of all-consuming mommy love.
She is a very good writer, but as far as the psychological dynamic of her family is concerned, if she doesn't get help soon, then I think she needs to seriously consider giving this baby up for adoption.
More reader comments:
I was absolutely riveted by Christen Clifford's article "Baby Love". I think it is incredibly brave and generous of her to share her experience with such honesty, intelligence, wit and compassion. I feel she has done a great service to women and men by making her experience available
Dear Christen, Many thanks for the honesty. I'm an old dude and a father and grandfather. All my life I've been a little confused about my place in a relationship with my former hot lover, then changed into "mommy." I know it's a little late, but I think I finally understand why she became what she became. I say it's late because she's been gone a long time (Virginia Slims), and my daughter is 47. Maybe I can help her with some of her demons, thanks to you.
I thought this article was so perfect. I nursed my son and I felt all of the things she described. It's nice to know I'm not a weirdo.
How utterly exciting to read something that strips back all the crap and says "this is how it is".
Your stark honesty is simply beautiful. Thank you from one mother to another.
Outstanding article. For a man reading this article you really showed us a clear image. I suppose that's why my friend forwarded it to me with the subject line reading: "The best form of contraceptive".
I'm the dad and work long hours etc...My wife is a breast feeding yoga mom and this article felt more familiar, more real, than anything else I've read about parenting. So thank you for making me feel like I'm not alone, that WE'RE not alone because often, the intimate stuff, the stuff between the lines, never gets spoken of.
From the other side as a now divorced father, the several subtexts that are the norm - no sex after kids, questioning of love for one's partner, the enormous stress of newborns floats around with nearly no acknowledgement in the "real" world. Great to see it out of the bag! Thanks, great story telling!
And my personal favorite:
Hot diggity! It's about time the weird mommy-I-love-you sexual undertones were discussed. Kudos! You should get a Pulitzer if you expand this to 200+ pages.