Toni Stone
Tickets from $79
Cititour.com Review
Plays that tend to rely on too much previous knowledge about the industry that are their subjects are often referred to by critics as “inside baseball.” Ironically, that term takes on a more literal meaning in Lydia R. Diamond’s “Toni Stone,” now at the Roundabout’s Laura Pels Theatre. But you really don’t need to know the difference between a slider and a fastball to appreciate this compelling and evocative tale about Stone, who had to learn to deal with sexism, racism and, above all, self-acceptance, in her journey to succeed as the first female professional baseball player in the Negro Leagues.
Portrayed with an unusual mixture of self-assurance (about her skills) and self-doubt (about her worldliness) by the truly remarkable April Matthis, Stone faces – and mostly wins –a series of individual battles every day , from dealing with parents who are reluctant to let their daughter play the game to owners who want to pay her less and treat her differently to jealous teammates determined to belittle, or even destroy, her simply because she’s a better player than they are.
But even, more importantly, Diamond reminds us of how difficult it was for African-Americans of any gender to survive in the white-dominated world of the 1940s. For example, Stone’s team, The Indianapolis Clowns, were forced to live up to their name by incorporating demeaning comic routines into each game to “entertain” the crowd. Not to mention that they were physically threatened when they beat an all-white team in the South, or were often turned away from white hotels, leaving them to either sleep on their tour bus or finding lodging in a friendly black-owned brothel, where Toni is befriended by the worldly-wise Millie (Kenn E. Head, relatively effective, and one of the many men playing multiple roles here.) For not just Stone, but all of the Clowns, the show is a profile in courage.
Meanwhile, Toni must summon up a different kind of courage to let down her guard and give in to the romantic overtures made by the powerful older businessman Alberga (a superb Harvy Blanks). He shows the patience of Job in pursuing a woman whose conversation consists primarily of relating baseball statistics and whose reluctance to move beyond the realm of friendship – in part because her hard-fought-for career is her one true love – seems unmovable (until it doesn’t).
Toni narrates the show, and Diamond cleverly lets us know early on that Stone isn’t one to tell a story in a straightforward manner – and neither is the playwright. While the time jumps aren’t particularly bothersome, there is too much repetition and rambling in the telling, and a shorter (perhaps 100-minute, one-act) version might have been more effective.
Still, even during the show’s ebbs – and especially during its flows -- it’s hard not to remain involved as the brilliant director Pam MacKinnon and the sublime choreographer Camille A. Brown move the nine-member cast fleetly around Riccardo Hernandez’ marvelous bleacher-filled set (which smartly serves as a wide variety of locations), stunningly lit by Allan Lee Hughes.
MacKinnon also makes sure that each of the men who share the stage with Matthis makes a welcome contribution, as well, including Philip James Brannon as the comically-inclined (but very sensible) King Tut, Daniel J. Bryant as the bookish, loquacious (and supposedly well-endowed) Spec, Jonathan Burke as the “secretly gay” Elzie, and Ezra Knight as the short-tempered, ultimately frightening Woody.
If a few of the show’s flaws could be eliminated – including a handful of heavy-handed sequences – “Toni Stone” could become the theatrical equivalent of a home run. But even in its current form, I think it’s a solid extra-base hit that deserves a longer life than its present Off-Broadway engagement.
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/
Cast
April Matthis, Eric Berryman, Harvy Blanks, Phillip James Brannon, Daniel J. Bryant, Jonathan Burke, Toney Goins, Kenn E. Head, and Ezra Knight
Open/Close Dates
Opening 6/20/2019
Closing 8/11/2019
Theatre Info
Laura Pels Theatre
111 West 46th Street
New York, NY 10036
Map
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