Magic vs Bird rivalry ends on Broadway

Paralleling the recent successful theatre production on the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry here in the Philippines, a dramatized rivalry of a larger scale opened in the US on March 21, and also drew the attention of sports fans. May 12 marks the end of the limited Broadway run of “Magic/Bird” at the Longacre Theatre. The play is the retelling of the fabled NBA rivalry between Los Angeles Lakers point guard Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird.

A production of Kirmser Ponturo Group, “Magic/Bird” is the second play in a planned series on the lives of famous sports personalities. The first was “Lombardi”, the life story of legendary football coach Vince Lombardi, which drew favorable reviews in its own short run. After its Broadway run, “Lombardi” played in Wisconsin, Florida, Long Island, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Washington DC, Arizona, Arkansas and Ohio among others. The producers are hoping “Magic/Bird” will have a more mass appeal and attract licensed productions in other places, as well.

“It is unfortunate that the show is closing,” Amanda Zoch, media relations officer of Kirmser Ponturo told The STAR in an e-mail. “We are focused right now on getting as many people to the show before then. Also, we wanted to let you know that we are handling the licensing of the show in-house and are currently exploring opportunities.”

Written by Academy Award-winning playwright Eric Simonson and directed by Tony Award nominee Thomas Kail, the play had several major challenges. First of all, both lead characters are incredibly tall. Luckily, Kevin Daniels and Tug Coker were able to approximate Magic and Bird, respectively. Though Daniels is a few inches shorter than Coker, he gives the more charismatic performance as the effusive Johnson.

The other problem facing the producers was the enormity of the stage on which the two performed. There has never been any theatre production able to recreate an NBA game or Olympic basketball tournament. Fortunately, the NBA itself agreed to partner with the producers, and allowed the creative use of video of key moments in the protagonists’ basketball careers by projecting them onscreen. This was the league’s first foray into theatre. The other recreations fell on wardrobe and writing. The producers tried their best to focus on the characters, who were brought together tentatively by maternal intervention.

“We wanted to attract both an audience which had never set foot in a Broadway theatre, and to satisfy the traditional theater goer,” the producers, Fran Kirmser and Tony Ponturo said in a statement. “We were honored to present ‘Magic/Bird’ as a story of hard work, dedication, respect and love as the second piece in a series of sports stories. We are so proud that we were able to do this on Broadway, and though it ran a limited time, it attracted many new audiences to the theater as well as provided a vehicle for many young people to attend their first show. We hope to inspire new audiences through future sports stories in the theater.”

The play opens with the press conference where Magic announces his retirement from the NBA after acquiring HIV, a huge turning point in the story of both players. It then backtracks to how they first gained public attention in basketball, and their inevitable clash. Instead of going big, the production went small, using six actors, with the supporting cast each playing multiple roles. Though the traditional theatre media were somewhat harsh, reviews for the acting of veteran Hollywood supporting actor Peter Scolari were outstanding. The diminutive Scolari gained fame in the early 1980’s as one of the leads in the comedy TV series “Bosom Buddies” alongside a very young Tom Hanks. He also enjoyed long stints in “Newhart” and the TV version of “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”.

Believe it or not, Scolari was in and out of costume in three vastly different roles, including turns as the short, gruff Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach, the large, flamboyant Lakers team owner Jerry Buss and the tall, polished Lakers head coach Pat Riley. The actor, who looks nothing like none of the mainstays in the Magic-Bird era he portrays, was able to pull off the transformations.

The producers were able to get both Johnson and Bird onboard as consultants, and each was thrilled with the result of the collaboration. The play delivered not just reenactments of key moments (including the gold medal ceremony of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics with the first Dream Team), but also showed the inner workings of how their friendship and respect for each other grew.

“It has been an honor for me to be involved with such a talented group of producers, actors, director, playwright and creative professionals in developing a ground-breaking Broadway experience,” Bird said on opening night. “I wish to thank them for all of their hard work and many talents in bringing our story to the stage in an exciting and meaningful manner.”

Naturally, the sports and mainstream media were more generous with their praise. Several audience members even dressed in Lakers and Celtics jerseys, reminiscing about the time the two giants of basketball won eight NBA titles in the 1980’s before teaming up to lead the Dream Team to an Olympic gold medal. And who knows? Maybe someday we may get to watch ‘Magic/Bird’ in the Philippines.

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The Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA) is bringing the same program that has produced world-class athletes and Olympians to over 900 registered venues nationwide. The Taekwondo Olympic Program (T.O.P) aims to develop the qualities of world-class athletes, essential life skills and values in children through the sport.

The program is part of PTA’s year-round program, so the learning can continue when students enroll in regular Taekwondo classes run by PTA-affiliated chapters.

The PTA’s TOP runs nationwide. Inquiries: PTA Office at 522-0518 or 522-0519.