By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO — Noah Baird recently was signed for his third six-month contract appearing on Broadway in Matilda: The Musical which isn’t bad at all for a 10-year-old boy from Carlsbad, whose kvelling grandparents–Ed and Sue Cherlin and Steve and Carol Baird–live in San Diego County.
Fans of local theatre may remember Noah’s mother, Becky Cherlin Baird, as the founder and former director of J*Company, the JCC-based children’s performance troupe, and some may remember seeing Noah, himself, in the San Diego Musical Theatre production of Annie Get Your Gun and The Old Globe’s The Grinch.
In a telephone interview from New York City’s Upper West Side, where the family — consisting of parents Daniel and Becky and children Noah and Talia, 8 — now have a small apartment, Becky Baird said that Noah has a guarantee of performing in at least two of the eight shows per week at the famed Shubert Theater on West 44th Street, and on occasion is called upon for additional performances when other cast members are sick. He plays two parts, both with spoken lines, those of Eric and Nigel.
Written by Roald Dahl, who is perhaps best known for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the lively musical tells the story of a genius-level little girl who has the misfortune of abhorrent parents and an even worse school principal, yet through brilliance and a little bit of magic, she more than survives her childhood traumas.
Noah, playing one of the children in Matilda’s school, has what Becky described as an athletically demanding role: it involves riding on razor scooters, swinging on swings, and vaulting. He comes to the theatre more than an hour and a half before the curtain goes up for physical conditioning and to warm up. Becky, meanwhile, has signed on as a Theatrical Guardian, meaning she works backstage with child performers.
While Noah enjoys performing, he doesn’t have his heart set on being in the theatre his entire life. If you ask him what he wants to do when he grows up, he’s likely to tell you that he wants to design race cars.
When not at the theater, Noah and his family like to explore New York City, which in Becky’s estimate offers a surprise field trip at almost every corner that one turns. “Several times a week we will stumble upon an exhibit,” she says. Daniel, who works for Slacker Radio, and Becky have been home schooling Noah under guidelines established by the San Diego Liberal Arts Academy. “He is an easy-going kid, smart, and loves to learn, not only from books but just by being in New York,” says his mom.
His sister Talia, meanwhile, has enrolled in a public school in New York City, is a member of an indoor swim team, and studies ballet.
Getting to Broadway was a lengthy process for Noah, involving numerous auditions at which casting directors looked not only for talent but also for “growth, persistence and commitment,” Becky said.
His first break was being cast in a New York City production of “A Christmas Story,” which helped build his resume for “Matilda.”
Broadway does a lot to protect child actors, Becky said. For example, they are not to sign autographs, or hand out photos as adult actors do. Nor do they leave the theater by the regular stage door, but instead are shepherded through a secret exit.
Becky said her son enjoys the New York City lifestyle, yet misses life in San Diego County where he can ride his bike and his scooter and be with neighborhood friends. Not that he lacks for socialization as a Matilda cast member. The 16 children in the cast have a lot of fun together, according to Becky.
Back in San Diego, his maternal grandfather, Ed Cherlin, a retired psychiatrist, derives lots of nachas from his performing grandson, whom he has seen four times so far on Broadway. “He’s flawless, polished,” says Cherlin. “He excels at whatever he does!”
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com . Comments below must be accompanied by the letter writers’ first and last name and city and state of residence. (Those outside the U.S. may use city and country.)