BROADWAY SNAP-SHOT
by Russell Bouthiller

Dateline: 8 March, 2003

TAKE ME OUT

"America's favorite pastime just got thrown a curve," reads the opening line of the press release for the new play, TAKE ME OUT. After a critically acclaimed run at London's Donmar Warehouse and a sell-out stint at the Public Theatre last fall, Richard Greenberg's work is called up to the Majors at the Walter Kerr Theatre, under the direction of Joe Mantello.

TAKE ME OUT follows the dust-up raised after a celebrated player announces to the media that he is gay. A principled young man of mixed race, Darren Lemming (Daniel Sunjata) discovers this compelling need to confess his sexuality after a conversation with his best-friend, Davey Battle (Kevin Carroll), a player on a rival team whose life is grounded by deep spiritual beliefs. The consequences of Lemmings frankness are strained relations with his fellow players and, eventually, a scandal far greater than anyone could have foreseen.

Lemming is not your run-of-the-mill slugger. He is the unequaled superstar of the New York Empires (read: Yankees), a modern-day deity who vaunts a divine right. "God made me God." While that may be a debatable issue, one thing is certain. He is a role model, whether he likes it or not. And, with this revelation, he wants to illustrate that "...any young man can become a ball player, or an interior decorator."

The inevitable strains are vividly portrayed, especially the confrontation between Lemming and a fellow-player, Toddy Koovitz (David Eigenberg), in which both men reevaluate their locker-room rapport while the audience has the pleasure of evaluating their unclothed bodies. And, in a much ballyhooed shower scene, teammates lather-up together while lamenting the fact that this once uncomplicated ritual has now become palpably awkward.

While the sensational aspects of this technique are obvious--not to mention the transparent marketing ploy aimed at a particular demographic more inclined to figure skating than Baseball--it creates with the audience the very same uptight response the characters are experiencing themselves.

Outside this circle of players looms Lemming's new business manager, Mason Marzac (Denis O'Hare), a gay guy who becomes Lemming's latest fan, though his fanaticism is of an untraditional nature. His newfound admiration is not based on batting averages, but on Lemming's courage to "come out." The two are now part of the same community, one that Lemming feels he is far above and Marzac feels he is far below. They are united as misfits within a subset, one for his apparent perfection and the other for his inescapable imperfection.

Marzac is TAKE ME OUT's love interest. Or, more accurately, a character whose lack of interest blooms into unbridled love. Similar to the author himself, Marzac has an unexpected epiphany: the love of the game. A numbers-cruncher by profession, this human calculator's revelation comes on like a thunderclap as he discovers the National Pastime to be a treasure-trove of mathematical marvels. Spouting statistics and sporting obnoxious accessories, Marzac realizes that "Baseball is unrelentingly meaningful."

Denis O'Hare hits a home-run as the nebbishy Mason Marzac. He brilliantly illustrates his character's self-discovery as his love for baseball comes full circle. In a series of crisp, witty monologues, we experience his emotional transformation from an invisible nobody to a raucous, rowdy man-with-a-plan.

Daniel Sunjata as Darren Lemming is the ideal physical embodiment of a buffed-out ball-player. Added to this corporeal perfection is Sunjata's ability to strike the fragile balance between inflated ego and realistic perception. Lemming is presented as a superstar and Sunjata convinces us that he is the worthy steward of his lofty status.

Frederick Weller does a bang-up job as Shane Mungitt, Lemming's racist, redneck nemesis who publicly declares his aversion to sharing a shower with a "faggot." Neal Huff scores as the brainy ball-player Kippy Sunderstrom who pinch-hits as the play's narrator. Kevin Carroll runs the bases as the preachy Davey Battle and David Eigenberg gets to demonstrate to the world that the neutering his character endured in the hit HBO series "Sex and the City" was mere fiction.

TAKE ME OUT explores issues of fame and the societal acceptance of homosexuality with a great deal of emotional depth, thanks to the keen direction of Joe Mantello. The puzzling element, however, is the journey the main character takes. Lemming makes his bold announcement, but the personal consequence comes off somewhat lacking in the end. Greenberg illustrates well the effects of the athlete's honesty on others, but as we travel through the complicated and engaging subplots, the emotional growth seems far greater to Marzac than to Lemming.

Set designs by Scott Pask establish the fabled quality of baseball lore. Lighting designs by Kevin Adams drench the players in a godly glow. Costumes by Jess Goldstein keep the crisp in the pinstripes. And, sound design by Janet Kalas augments the shrine-like atmosphere of a grand and glorious ballpark. TAKE ME OUT, one of the season's champions.