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Synopsis

It is sometime in the mid-1960s. In a traditional family summer resort in upstate New York, Baby Houseman is vacationing with her parents and her parents’ friends as they have done for years. She is a typically sweet daddy’s girl from a privileged background, expected to go to college, join the Peace Corps or embark on some other good work, and eventually marry a doctor like her father. Contrary to plan, Baby begins to break out of the mold, developing a fascination for the camp’s dance instructor, Johnny, whose like she has never encountered before. Johnny’s dance partner is pregnant; her condition threatens her livelihood and she needs an abortion. (Johnny, although he is under suspicion, is not the father – it later turns out that the culprit is a guest at the resort who has been assumed to be the ideal match for Baby.) Baby helps out by lying to her father to get money to pay for the abortion. While Johnny’s partner is incapacitated, Baby fills in for her, and while he is teaching her their dance routines, they fall in love. The abortion turns out to be a botched job, and the dance partner’s life is in danger. Baby has no choice but to reveal the situation to her father, who – the only skilled physician within miles – saves the girl’s life. The worst part of it for him is that he realizes the illegal abortion was paid for with his own money. He assumes Johnny is responsible and forbids Baby to associate with “those people” ever again. But Baby willfully disobeys and sneaks out to Johnny’s quarters late at night to apologize. She ends up spending the night. Next morning, she is spotted leaving Johnny’s quarters by none other than Mr. Ideal. There has been a theft the previous evening, and he grabs the opportunity for revenge by telling the resort management that Johnny is the thief, knowing that Johnny won’t dare to reveal his true alibi. He hasn’t counted on the courageous Baby, however, who confesses that she and Johnny were alone together all night. Daddy is of course devastated. Johnny is fired and banned from attending or performing at the closing night festivities. Nonetheless, he forces his way on to the stage to tell everyone how Baby’s courage and faith in him have changed his life. Baby and Johnny do one final show-stopping dance together. Daddy learns at last that Johnny was not responsible for his partner’s pregnancy, and comes to understand that although Baby is transitioning to womanhood, she will always be his loving daughter.

Credits

Georgina Rich, Josef Brown, David Rintoul, Rae Baker, Billy Boyle, Isabella Calthorpe, Nadia Coote, Richard Dempsey, Jason Griffiths, Richard Lawrence, Richard Lloyd King, Ben Mingay, Issy van Randwyck, Brian Saccente, Ursula Smith, Nigel Williams, Shonagh Daly, Chris Holland, Lucy Banfield, Ina Banham, Sarah Bowden, Dan Burton, Arielle Campbell, David Erik, Shimi Goodman, Helen Harper, Victoria Hinde, Melissa Keyes, Paul Kitson,Tee Jaye, Richard Leeson, Chris Andrew Mellon, Tom Mellor, Will Peaco, Tanya Perera, Emma Woods. Orchestra: Chris Newton, Simon Heeley, Jonathan Atkinson, Phil Mulford, Dave Holmes, Shan Channa, Malcolm Melling, Patrick Hartley, Dave Bishop, Martin Williams UK strings: Julian Leaper, Laura McIlhuish, Michael Keelan, Nina Foster, Roger Garland, Richard George, Ann Morfee, Rosie Campton, Bob Smissen, Rebecca Low, Bozidar Vukotic, Dave Bucknall. Australian musicians: Mark Taylor, Peter di Losa, Jimmy Roach, Adrian Cunningham, Ben Gurton, David Armstrong, Steve Marin, Peter Firth, Michael Pensini