Jonathan J. Miner
Remember Jimmy Dugan, the cantankerous but ultimately good-hearted baseball player memorialized by Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own? Imagine if there wasn’t a single Hanksian quality to redeem him and he was just a hard-hitting, hard-spitting outfielder who lived to ruin everyone’s favorite pastime. If you can picture that, you’re zeroing in on Sweet William, the title character of Broom Street Theater’s new production, written and directed by Doug Reed.
Sweet William, which runs at Broom Street until April 9, is an immersive genre-buster of a play. From the moment the audience walks in the door, we’re transported into the world of 1950s baseball, sitting in the stands, being sold baseball cards and handed programs (sadly, beer and hot dogs aren’t an option). Everything from the opening announcement about where to find the bathroom — sung to the tune of The Star-Spangled Banner — to the playbill, which doubles as a scorecard, is designed to convince us we’re at the ballpark in the good old summertime.
The show uses parody, musical numbers, multimedia and Shakespeare to crack open Sweet Willie’s life and the mystery that surrounds his teammate, the good-as-gold Johnny Johnson (Loryn Jonelis), and the disappearance of the owner’s daughter (Kelly Maxwell). As if this weren’t enough of a mash up, the show also employs the wrap-around plot of a Ken Burns-style documentary, shot by filmmaker Dorothy (Heather Renken). Oh, and there’s also an appearance by Jesus Christ on the cross.
Sweet William plays as fast and loose as a 95-mph curveball edging over the plate. The lead character of Willie McSlide is played by two actors, Keith Huie, as the get-off-my-lawn senior Willie, and Scott Frazier, as the young, stymied Willie, a legend in his own mind. Both are convincing, as are the rest of the cast members, who seem to be having a lot of fun with this satirical take on the seedy side of America’s sport.
I don’t want to make mountains out of (pitcher’s) mounds, but I’m inclined to think that the show is also out to expose the underbelly of our squeaky clean past, our most admired heroes. Maybe underneath it all, America itself is more Sweet Willie than Gentleman Johnny Johnson. It’s a good question for this election year. Reed, as the writer and director, definitely chooses a side.
I won’t give away any more of the ending. To solve the mystery, you’ll have to buy your ticket and get in the game.
