Bronx Bombers
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Cititour.com Review
The 2013 season may be over for the New York Yankees, but fans of the boys in pinstripes can still get their fix at the Duke on 42nd Street thanks to the Primary Stages’ world premiere production of Eric Simonson’s “Bronx Bombers.” As with his previous sports-themed plays, “Lombardi” and “Magic/Bird,” Simonson exhibits an extraordinary passion for his subject, as well as a treasure trove of trivia and knowledge. His skills as a dramatist (and director), however, are still rather minor-league.
In actuality, the first third of “Bronx Bombers” seems like a dynamite set-up for a full two-hour play. We’re in a Boston hotel room the morning after the still-infamous 1977 incident in which manager Billy Martin (Keith Nobbs) ejected star outfielder Reggie Jackson (Francois Battiste) mid-game because he felt Jackson hadn’t hustled enough in the field. Trying to make peace between the volatile Martin and the egotistical Jackson is coach and former Yankee Yogi Berra (the consistently terrific Richard Topol). He’s also summoned Yankee captain Thurman Munson (Bill Dawes) to the pow-wow, even though there’s little love lost between Jackson and Munson (who would die tragically in a plane crash just weeks later).
During this often-heated exchange, Simonson deftly explores the interpersonal dynamics between these disparate personalities, as well as gives some insight to how racism still played some role in baseball in the 1970s. While Battiste doesn’t physically resemble Jackson, this fine actor is particularly effective in capturing Jackson’s swagger and self-absorption. The tension when he walks into the room is palpable.
Sadly, the rest of the play doesn’t live up to this section. Simonson definitely has an interesting idea: the trouble Berra has a dream in which he summons up many of the Yankee greats to a dinner party, hosted by loving wife Carmen (Wendy Makkena), to help him figure out how to handle this tricky situation. But it quickly becomes obvious that the guests, who include Babe Ruth (a very good C.J. Wilson), Mickey Mantle (the blustery Dawes), Joe DiMaggio (a suave-looking Chris Henry Coffey), Elston Howard (Battiste), Lou Gehrig (a nicely understated John Wernke) – and oddly, future Yankee Derek Jeter (Christopher Jackson) – don’t know why they’re there. As a result, they mostly trade insults, offer up factoids about their career, and blather about nothing during this overlong segment. And Jeter, who is apparently the one only who knows how that famed 1977 season actually ended, takes a long time in actually delivering the needed information.
To his credit, Simonson wraps his fantasia up somewhat more smoothly with a touching coda set at the last game in the old Yankee Stadium in September 2008, which is sure to bring a tear to the eye of true fans. So just as there’s hope that the Yankees will win another World Series in 2014, perhaps Simonson will eventually pen a truly satisfying play about the world he clearly loves.
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
http://www.bronxbombersplay.com
Cast
Francois Battiste, Chris Henry Coffey, Bill Dawes, Christopher Jackson, Wendy Makkena, Keith Nobbs, John Wernke, C.J. Wilson
Open/Close Dates
Opening 9/20/2013
Closing 10/19/2013
Box Office
646-223-3010
Theatre Info
The Duke on 42nd Street
229 42nd Street
New York, NY 10017
Map
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