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Take Me Out
*TAKE ME OUT By Richard Greenberg Walter Kerr Theatre
*Reviewed Saturday May 24th evening performance, this was the 100th performance for the broadway company. Directed by Joe Mantello Cast: "Kippy Sunderstrom".......................Neal Huff "Darren Lemming"............................Daniel Sunjata "Shane Mungitt"...............................Frederick Weller "Skipper/William R. Danziger"..........Joe Lisi "Martinez/Policeman".......................Robert M. Jimenez "Rodriguez/Policeman"....................Gene Gabriel "Jason Chenier"...............................Kohl Sudduth "Toddy Koovitz".............................David Eigenberg "Davey Battle".................................Kevin Carroll "Mason Marzac"..............................Denis O'Hare "Takeshi Kawabata"........................James Yaegashi
TAKE ME OUT
On December 23,1999 pro baseball player John Rocker gave an interview with Sports Illustrated , resulting in making him one of the most despised men in professional sports. Rocker's idiotic tirade against Mets fans, foreigners, gays, and other ethnic groups was filled with such hatred and contempt that even today it still leaves a glaring blemish on professional sports.
Rocker then somehow ended up being traded off to the Texas Rangers.
While in Dallas, Rocker was having lunch with a girl at Breadwinners, (a local eatery among downtown Dallas dwellers). At this same restaurant was a gay couple, which somehow clicked something in Rocker's pea sized brain to begin making rude comments to them. Rocker finally left, only to come face to face with a transsexual, this caused the ball player to simply scream and shout at this person, for no apparent reason whatsoever.
Today Rocker has been demoted to the minors, playing with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
I begin this review with the above story on Rocker for it actually fits like a leather baseball glove right into the themes of Richard Greenberg's audacious play-TAKE ME OUT (TMO).
TMO brings us into the world of professional baseball, all through the eyes, hearts, and lives of a baseball team called the Empires. Greenberg shows in vivid honesty what occurs within these friendships, relationships, and lives of these men when secrets are exposed.
It was a delightful revelation for me in finding out that the play is just down right hilarious. Greenberg has crafted scenes and dialogue that has its audience belly laughing throughout the evening. What is so beguiling about his writing is that while you chortle at the dialogue, you also notice the realism of the situation. You see that while it is funny, there is some painful truth to the line.
It honestly reflects what we may be thinking within our most inner thoughts. Those secrets or deep, personal opinions that we share with no one. But Greenberg splatters them on the stage, causing laughter, but at the same time a painful twitch of reality is added to the mix. Greenberg's play also has a terrific way of making you think you have all the answers, or make you think you know what the outcome is going to be within his play. Oh-not so fast Mark McGuire! Greenberg's play will defy you. Thus taking you on a completely different path in which the outcome can either having you holding your sides from laughter, or wiping the tears off your face because of its emotional impact.
The title makes you think, "take me out of the closet" or "coming out of the closet". But its not. Wait till you see what it actually means, for it has several meanings!
Joe Mantello (A Tony acting nominee for ANGELS IN AMERICA) directs this piece with rousing impeccability. Mantello has scene work move with expeditious pace. The pace only slows down when the dramatic themes come into the picture, whereby Mantello takes time to give the actor, scene, and moment natural time, pace and energy. While some of the minor roles might be a little "one tone", Mantello (and his actors) superbly keeps them from entering those "usual stock character" lines.
Mantello also has at his disposal terrific designers to round out his vision. Kevin Adam's lighting design has everything-from the garish lighting of a locker room, to a scoreboard, to even stadium lighting! Scott Pask (who also designed the sets for NINE) has created a very realistic world for this piece. He has everything from large, dark lockers to an actual baseball diamond with artificial grass. Jess Goldstein designed authentic baseball uniforms for the actors that complete their characterizations.
As many know by now, there is full frontal nudity in the play. To respond to this I would like to explain my theory on nudity in a play or musical: I strongly believe that if the piece requires exposed flesh on stage, then go for it. If the nudity provides subtext, non-verbal communication, emotion, or that it "actually" fits within what the playwright wrote, than I have no problem with it. If actions or statements are made within the writing about the nude person on stage, again-no problem here.
But when nudity is added just for the sake of shock value, or to sell tickets, then that's when I get the urge to protest till I'm blue in the face. Nothing ticks me off more than when some ill advised director adds some naked woman or man on stage, just because that might get more butts in the seats. It does not raise the artistic quality of the piece, nor its theater.
It instead cheapens it.
You might as well add strippers and charge for sleazy lap dances and be over with it!
There was a production of TORCH SONG TRILOGY mounted here in the DFW metroplex that had actually added nudity to the second act. Having seen both the original broadway production and national tour of Harvey Fierstein's amazing play, I don't recall anyone showing their goodies on stage. Again, just a sick, stupid ploy to entice ticket buyers. I'm surprised Fierstein was not told of this. I'm sure he would have come to Texas and smack the director with a porcelain rabbit water pitcher right in the kisser!
Having said all this, Greenberg's writing directly comments to the nudity on stage, both for hysterical laughs, but also for some extremely dark, disturbing, and powerful scenes. Greenberg (and director Mantello) use the male nudity to explore and open to full dramatic effect the outcome of the behavior & emotions of these men. You see, we know from the very first scene that the Empire's star baseball player-Darren Lemming (played by Daniel Sunjata) has revealed that he is gay.
We have all read and heard the comments of men who play in professional sports their personal opinions about having a gay player on their team. Oddly enough, many of these pro players have made comments about "having to shower and be naked in a locker room with a gay guy". With Greenberg's writing and Mantello's direction, we get to see both sides of the coin, from its uproarious moments, to the edgy, bombastic, tense filled second act.
The star performance here is provided in blinding glory by Denis O'Hare. This actor had the audience in the palm of his hands from his first scene to his last. But I think he also entered many of the audience's hearts as well, for he is just so endearing in this role. O'Hare plays the quiet, shy, accountant "Mason" whom Sunjata has hired to handle his fortune.
I have never seen an actor command an audience's attention and respect like O'Hare does in some time in a play. He knew exactly when to go for the jugular for that extra added laugh. The actor used his facial expressions like silly putty. Mind you, these were not musical comedy stylized facial expressions, but expressions that brought home what he was thinking or feeling. The actor's stage presence can easily fill Madison Square garden! Even his throw away lines, or simple gestures were met with thundering applause and laughter.
But O'Hare also knew how to bring his character to his most quiet, sincere moments like a magician. When it came to show Mason's most personal pains or issues, O'Hare had the audience wiping their faces from the tears that somehow materialized there. He is phenomenal- period! As the outed ball player, Daniel Sunjata has a difficult task before him. "Darren" is gay, but this is not the central focal point of his character, for there are darker shades underneath the soul of this man.
Sunjata gives the role an air of swaggering peacock. This is a man who lets it be known that he is the best damn ball player ever, and has the paycheck to prove it. Sunjata gives the proper air of an egocentric, career driven man who somehow forgot to love and breath. But for Sunjata to still earn the audience's empathy for his character, that speaks volumes of this actor's craft.
Sunjata has some incredibly difficult scenes in act two that change the course of several characters on stage. Sunjata's "Darren" has had his heart encased in solid ice, who finally breaks down. The organic honesty in which Sunjata collapses is so harsh and real, you almost turn your face away in embarrassment. You feel as though you intruded into someone's personal emotional breakdown. Sunjata's performance is indeed noteworthy.
Both Neal Huff (Kippy) and Frederick Weller (Shane) were swindled out of Tony nominations for their brilliant work in this production!! Huff's "Kippy" is Sunjata's best friend, but also serves as the narrator for the piece. Huff's characterization is so amiable, you feel as though Huff's character would invite the audience over for a cold beer. His acting is so strong as to let us see what he sees happening before him. Huff has flawless comic timing and pace to add to his acting bag. The actor also has a firm grasp on the dramatic situations set before him. Huff gives a consummate performance.
"Shane" is a white trash, red neck who was born in some Southern town, but was orphaned at an early age. Frederick Weller brings this character to life in a magnificent performance that will shatter your soul. Weller's precise comic timing, energy, and pace will have you snickering. But his act two scene work is simply mesmerizing. The concentration and attention to his characterization is marvelous to watch unfold within this play. Weller's work here is tour-de-force! Even the featured roles within this cast are given first rate performances: At the top of this list is David Eigenberg as "Toddy", the most vocal homophobic guy in the locker room. Eigenberg has electrifying stage presence that fills the Walter Kerr, and then some! His razor sharp comic timing, pace, delivery, and facial expressions had the audience guffawing throughout the evening. You actually miss Eigenberg when he is not on stage!
Another wonderful, laugh provoking performance is that of Kohl Sudduth as "Jason". Kohl's character is a ball player who happens to be missing quite a few sandwiches out his picnic basket, if you catch my drift. Sudduth's comic delivery is jovial, but the actor also has a touching scene within the piece that adds another layer to his flawless characterization.
Gene Gabriel and Robert M. Jimenez both provide buckets of raw machismo and wandering libidos. Both portray butch Latino ball players who want nothing with the gay ball player. Both actors drip in vulgar camaraderie, thereby creating a couple of scene stealing performances!
Also delivering excellent performances within in the cast include Kevin Carroll as "Davey"; James Yaegashi as "Takeshi Kawabata", and Joe Lisi as the coach.
It should be noted that the chemistry within this cast is extremely strong,tight, controlled, and filled to the brim in energy. These actors never once let the "ball of energy" drop. They all let each other shine, or constantly kept in character,even when they were in the background. I noticed this a lot in the locker room scenes on how each actor provided terrific subtext and non-verbal communication when they were not the focus of the scene.
Without a
doubt, TAKE ME OUT deserves to win
And if it doesn't, then I suggest that the entire Empire baseball team ought to pay a visit to the Tony voters for an "impromptu" game of baseball...........showers optional!
RATING: A |
