Take Me Out

 A-

It’s hard to believe that 20 years have passed since I saw the original production of Richard Greenberg’s play at the Donmar Warehouse in London. What I remember most is that I got splashed during the shower scene. I saw it again on Broadway in 2003 with basically the same cast when it won the Tony. I probably would not have bothered to see it a third time had it not turned up on my Second Stage subscription. It would have been a great shame to have missed it. 20 years later, I would now rate it as Greenberg’s finest play. Despite a few false notes and a few easy laughs, it holds up very well. Sad to say, it remains timely as there are still no openly gay baseball players in the major leagues. I don’t know whether Greenberg has altered the text, but one line came across as so relevant to today's world that it drew applause. This production is over all a superb one. The acting, Scott Ellis’s direction, David Rockwell’s scenic design, Linda Cho’s costumes and Kenneth Posner’s lighting all serve the play well. The main roles are well cast. Jesse Williams is excellent as Darren Lemming, the enigmatic biracial star who suddenly announces he is gay. Patrick J. Adams is effective as Kippy Sunderstrom, his sardonic but well-meaning teammate who also serves as the narrator. Jesse Tyler Ferguson is a treat as Darren’s nerdy gay investment advisor Mason Marzac (the role that won Dennis O’Hare a Tony), who takes a shine to baseball and to Darren. Michael Oberholtzer is absolutely riveting as Shane Mungitt, the redneck pitcher who is brought up from the minors during a slump. Julian Cihi as Takeshi Kawabata, the team’s Japanese import who speaks very little English, makes the most of his monologue. I was slightly disappointed in Brandon J. Dirden as Davy Battle, Darren’s conspicuously upright friend from another team. The others – Hiram Delgado, Carl Lundstedt, Ken Marks, Eduardo Ramos and Tyler Lansing Weaks – are fine in their roles. The play’s merits have often been overshadowed by the notoriety of its scenes with full frontal male nudity which really are an essential part of the play and are not there to titillate. What a shame that audience members have to lock up their cellphones in special bags to prevent photography. On the plus side, that means there are no cellphones going off during the performance. My enjoyment of this revival was tinged with a bit of sadness that Greenberg has never again reached this high level. Running time: two hours 15 minutes, including intermission.