Take Me Out

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

First things first: Take Me Out, the premiere offering in the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis' "Off Ramp" series at the Grandel, is not just a hit but an out-of-the-park, grand slam home run. Richard Greenberg's witty, wise and endlessly inventive script has been given a first-class production by director Rob Ruggiero and a simply flawless cast. The standing ovation from the opening night audience was immediate, spontaneous and - for a change - completely deserved.

According to a 2003 interview Greenberg did with fellow playwright Jim Provenzano, the inspiration for Take Me Out was a real-life incident: the admission by former Major League Baseball star Billy Bean that he was gay. "When Billy Bean came out in 2000," Greenberg relates, "and he said that the only way you could stay in the game and be gay was to stay in, or if you were already a superstar. That gave me the germ of the play."

The story of Take Me Out revolves around Darren Lemming, the superstar player of the New York Empires. Widely admired and at the top of his game, Lemming is convinced that "coming out" as a gay man on national television will be a non-event because of his celebrity status. He soon discovers that while his own game hasn't changed, that of his teammates has, and the Empires are obliged to bring in a promising young relief pitcher from the minors, Shane Mungitt.

Mungitt proves to be a brilliant pitcher, but his unabashed bigotry only makes a tense locker room environment that much worse. Attempts by Darren's Ivy League-educated friend and fellow player Kippy Sunderstrom to reduce that tension lead to consequences that are as tragic as they are unforeseen. Meanwhile Mason Marzac, Darren's repressed financial advisor, experiences an emotional awakening by falling in love with baseball and - possibly - Darren.

All of this comes together to produce a rich, funny and touching evening of theatre that's both a rapturous hymn to baseball and a thoughtful meditation on how we do and don't relate to each other, as well as on the sometimes tragic gap between the intent of our actions and the actual results. Although the style is openly non-realistic - Kippy and Mason address the audience directly and scenes shift back and forth in time as needed - the play never fails to deliver on an emotional level.

The uniformly excellent cast is headed by Philip Anthony-Rodriguez as a compelling and complex Darren and Tim Altmeyer as the sympathetic Kippy. Neither of these are simple characters, and both actors give them their due. As Mason Marzac, Nat Dewolf perfectly captures the voice, face and body language of a shy, repressed man suddenly flooded with a great passion and ill-equipped to express it. His extended first act monologue - almost an aria, really - on the parallels between baseball and democracy is one of many brilliant set pieces in the show. He's Leo Bloom, the game of baseball is Max Bialystock, and the audience loved him.

Michael Balsley is a completely convincing Shane Mungitt, perfectly capturing the blank stare of someone who is not just a bit dim, but also fundamentally broken. There's great work here, as well, from Ikuma Isaac, who brings a quiet dignity to the role of Japanese pitcher Takeshi Kawabata, isolated by his inability to speak English, and by Rep veteran Tony Hoty as both the Empire's manager and a conflicted fan.

Director Ruggerio's pacing and blocking are right on the money and designer Adrian W. Jones Spartan set neatly facilitates the lightning scene shifts called for in the script. A wedge of panels upstage become doors or walls as needed, the back wall of the locker room slides on and off smartly, and light panels stage right and left double as a scoreboard for the ballpark scenes. Granted, the shower heads required for the shower room scenes had a tendency to drip a bit at inappropriate times, but that's minor stuff. Janet Kalas' sound design provides just the right ambience for scenes in the Empires' stadium, a sports bar, and other key locations. Her baseball sound montage at the top of the show also nicely sets the stage for Kippy's opening monologue.

Since a few key scenes in Take Me Out take place in the locker room and the showers, there is some male nudity as well as the kind of language that you'd expect in a Major League Baseball locker room when the reporters are gone. Those likely to be offended by that sort of thing should take note.

Everyone else, however, should call 314-968-4925 or visit the Rep web site immediately to reserve tickets for the Rep's production of Take Me Out. It's an exhilarating celebration of the sometimes-messy joy that is the essence of both baseball and Life as We Know It, and it runs through October 9th [2005] at the Grandel Theatre.

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