There Goes My Baby

A member of the close-knit Westwood High senior class, J.D. is part of the ensemble whose hopes and fears emerge as the night unfolds. He embodies the era’s sense of possibility and the delicate balance between friendship and growing responsibilities.

Pop runs the Paradise Café, the neighborhood anchor where the teens convene. His decisions about the cafe’s demolition echo the encroaching commercial changes of the era, and he serves as a steady, observant presence for his friends’ dreams.

Pirate dreams of traveling the country and finding freedom away from home. His relationship with Sunshine frames questions about parenthood, commitment, and the pace of social change during the 1960s.

Sunshine wants to move to the Bay Area to join the flower child movement. Facing a pregnancy, she makes a pivotal decision about her future, illustrating the era’s countercultural currents.

Finnegan aspires to be a poet and embodies the artistic ambitions of the younger generation. His life intersects with the draft and wartime fears as the night unfolds.

Babette hopes for a singing career and pursues opportunities to perform on live television. Her drive mirrors the era’s fascination with music and media exposure.

Tracy seeks love and stability, and her breakup with Finnegan highlights the fragility of relationships under adolescence and social pressure.

Stick faces the draft as he prepares to report for basic training, grappling with deployment fears. His later life as a surfing shop owner hints at a personal adaptation to changing times.

Morrisey is unsettled by his brother’s death and becomes involved in protest actions. His arc underscores the personal costs and consequences of social upheaval and war.

Mary Beth serves as the adult narrator, guiding the audience through the night and reflecting on the futures of her friends.

Calvin becomes the first Westwood graduate to win a full Princeton scholarship, later pursuing a successful legal career and a path into politics, signaling upward mobility during the era.