The new musical “The Kid” tracks the ups and downs of a couple on its path to adoption. The administrative roller coaster provides a gold mine of amusing material, but this tender, funny show is more about the emotional journey of becoming a parent for the first time.
A more accurate title would have been “Dan,” because the show is really about that character’s evolution as a would-be father.
Dan is Dan Savage, the real-life author of a syndicated sex column — sorry, a “forum on politics and relationships,” as he keeps reminding us — and the popular 1999 memoir upon which the show is based. Here, he’s played by the cuddly Christopher Sieber (“Shrek,” “Spamalot”), deploying oodles of cute-neurotic charm as he guides us through the story.
Dan and his boyfriend, Terry (Lucas Steele), have been together only two years, which means adopting is going to test their relatively young relationship. If they have heated fights over the music playing in the car, are they ready to handle a child?
At least the people around them are supportive: Dan’s mom (Jill Eikenberry — yes, from “L.A. Law”) can’t wait to be a grandma, and a dry-but-kind adoption counselor (Susan Blackwell) guides them through the process. Lesbian friends with a child of their own even give parenting advice to the freaked-out prospective dads.
We watch the two men go through every single possible emotion in a series of vignettes finely staged by director Scott Elliott, and set to good pop-tinged songs by newcomers Jack Lechner (lyrics) and Andy Monroe (music).
The biggest challenge the couple face is not their gayness, but the mother of their prospective child — Melissa (Jeannine Frumess), a single, homeless teen with a history of drug and alcohol abuse. When the baby’s father, Bacchus (Michael Wartella), unexpectedly reappears, she starts waffling about the adoption.
Always keeping a light touch, “The Kid” deals with the issue of what makes a good parent, and does it without looking down on any of the involved parties. Melissa and Bacchus clearly aren’t ready to have a child, but their decision is still heart-wrenching. They even get the two best songs, “Spare Changin’ ” and “Behind the Wheel.”
Meanwhile, Dan and Terry prove to be as ready as any couple could ever be.
No decision is easy in this musical, but the ending is a happy one for everybody involved — including the kid.