Interview: Lucy DeVito Is Expecting an Old-Fashioned Delivery in BUMP

You don't have to be a mother-to-be to empathize with the expectant cast of Chiara Atik's new play about childbirth, BUMP, at the Ensemble Studio Theatre.

This comedy, with serious undertones, illustrates the rocky path to motherhood through the eyes of pregnant characters who share ... a lot. Some of the sharing occurs on an internet message board for preggers. The benefits of epidurals figure prominently, as do the disadvantages of pocket-less maternity pants and gassy indignities.

As the story shifts offline (and far into the past), Lucy DeVito portrays Mary, a colonial-era mom in waiting, whose midwife (Jenny O'Hara) is no-nonsense and pragmatic. Not warm, but knowledgeable. A third story line involves Claudia (Ana Nogueira) who plans a water birth. Her father, Luis (Gilbert Cruz), is a mechanic who is inspired to invent a device to ease difficult births. This part is based on a true story, and its treatment in the play led, in large part, to making the stage production possible.

"I think it's a lovely story about pregnancy and childbirth with different versions of women going through this miraculous phenomenon," DeVito said before opening night. "It's not always talked about in theater, and there's some scientific influence in what's being tackled."

The play was funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation through its Science & Technology Project to promote theater productions that challenge stereotypes of scientists and engineers in pop culture.

The gizmo engineered by Claudia's dad in the play, the Odón Device, was inspired by a YouTube video viewed in 2005 by Jorge Odón, an Argentinian garage mechanic. He saw how a cork could be extracted from an empty wine bottle without breaking it, using a plastic bag inserted inside the bottle. Once inflated, the bag gripped the cork and pulled both objects out. Odón then thought there could be a way to help deliver babies in distress and engineered such a tool. The device is currently being tested.

BUMP covers a lot of territory, with an honest look at the travails of being pregnant and the concerns of loved ones.

"BUMP deals with all the joys and trauma that comes with a woman's changing body and the struggles of going through labor," DeVito said. "It's a beautiful ensemble cast of wonderful people, and I get emotional just being part of the process."

Although she has not experienced the pleasures and pains of pregnancy, DeVito relates to her character without reservation. "I myself have not yet given birth, so I don't have that in common with her, but I can relate to the anxiety of having to go through something so physically traumatic," she said.

"I understand how that's angst-producing and scary, and the relationship I have with the midwife-authority figure who knows it all, is bonding. Mary isn't being nurtured in the way she wants to be and her husband is away, so she's feeling alone," DeVito said.

DeVito explained that the midwife's matter-of-factness is not so far off when it comes to doctor-patient relationships. "A lot of times you'll go into a doctor's office and want a kind, non-clinical approach from the physician. Doesn't usually happen. So what Mary's experiencing isn't so unique in that sense," she added.

The message board members share gestational progress and pet peeves like being touched by strangers and the inexplicable lack of pockets in maternity pants.

While the play explores contemporary and colonial-era attitudes toward the birthing process, DeVito finds parallels in both.

"I do think that back in the day, there were similar emotional aspects of being pregnant and having to push a human being out of you," she said. "As long as human kind existed, no matter how much information you have, you're never really prepared for the experience."

Chat board members find solace in one another, contrasting sharply with Mary's colonial solitude. "My character wants to do everything right and is a bit uninformed," DeVito said with a laugh. There were no epidurals available, obviously, something the board members look forward to when their labor becomes, uh, challenging.

"Nowadays, we're very informed thanks to the internet," DeVito said. "I don't know when I'm going through this, but I'm definitely getting an epidural."

Mary evolves during her stage time, from being an uniformed, terrified young woman, to a more independent mother. "I think Mary goes from being a pretty naïve little girl to a more wise, grown-up mother. I enjoy the physical humor, despite the uncomfortable foam padding I have to wear under all these layers."

DeVito and O'Hara have proved to be ideal stage foils. "Jenny cracks me up every day," DeVito said. "We speak in gibberish to each other and the two of us getting dressed up in our bonnets is a sight for sore eyes.

"We're constantly making fun of each other. There I am with my foam belt tucked into Spanx and holster bra and she's taking pictures of me, thank you very much," she laughed. "It's all in good fun and I foresee us going up."

DeVito has newfound appreciation for the journey that pregnant women face. "I especially relate to Mary's excitement and wonder of this new human being and pretty much enthralled with that aspect of her life," DeVito said. "The basics of childbirth haven't changed and this play has grounded me in a sense; it's shed a light on what it means to be a family."

DeVito realized she wanted to explore acting from a young age. Having two famous parents (Rhea Perlman and Danny DeVito) didn't hurt, either. "I wanted to try acting and did it in high school and through college." Since then she's appeared in numerous plays, film and television, including the much heralded "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," starring her father.

"I think this is a funny, charming play and people will have a good time seeing it," DeVito said. "It's very watchable and all the acting is wonderful. There's a great light spirit on stage and I think the audience picks up on that, regardless of age. It's a lovely theater experience and not a big commitment, since it's only 90 minutes long," she laughed.

DeVito has no set plans for when the limited run ends. "I don't know what's going to happen next," she said. "But soon I'll be going into that don't-have-an-acting-job panic."

BUMP is playing at the Ensemble Studio Theatre, 545 West 52nd Street, through June 3. Other cast members include Kristen Adele, Kelly Anne Burns, Kelli Lynn Harrison, Susan Hyon, Erica Lutz, Laura Ramadei, Adrianna Sananes and Jonathan Randell Silver. Directed by Claudia Weill. Costume design by Suzanne Chesney, scenic design by Kristen Robinson and lighting design by Gina Scherr.