‘Magic/Bird’ producers tackle Yankees next

The producers of the Broadway play “Magic/Bird” are tackling their third sports-themed theatrical production in four years. On Friday, Fran Kirmser and Tony Ponturo announced that they will be producing an as-yet- untitled play based on the fabled New York Yankees, in cooperation with the world-renowned Major League Baseball club and the MLB itself. The production is set to open on Broadway some time next year.

“We look forward to experiencing Major League Baseball in the theatre,” says Tim Brosnan, executive vice-president for business of the MLB. “With a rich history of success, the New York Yankees have been involved in many of the most memorable moments in sports history, and have featured some of the best players and most colorful characters baseball has ever seen. They will be a fascinating subject matter.”

Kirmser built her career as a producer of the musical revival Hair, and helped artists produce their work for the stage. She also launched The Biography Project, an Off Broadway series which told stories from artists’ points of view. Ponturo, meanwhile, was a producer of the Tony Award-winning musical Memphis, and helped propel NFL sponsor Anheuser Busch to unprecedented heights as a sports marketer. This time, though, their subject is a not an individual or pair of athletes, but a sports franchise that has been consistently successful for over a hundred years.

“The Yankees organization enjoys a rich history which spans two centuries, steeped by time-honored traditions, marked by major milestones, defined most notably by the success of 27 World Championships,” adds Lonn Trost, chief operating officer of the Yankees. “Just as generations of fans have been captivated in their seats at Yankee Stadium, theatergoers will be able to experience the same drama and joy. We look forward to opening our archives to the process and sharing our stories.”

The pair of Kirmser and Ponturo produced their first sports-related commissioned show Lombardi in 2009, and it became the longest-running play of the 2011- 2012 season. The life story of Hall of Fame football coach and sports legend Vince Lombardi has since been licensed to regional theatres across the US. They then were encouraged to commission Magic/Bird with the cooperation of the NBA, the first time the league was involved in a high-profile theatre piece. In this production, they made extensive use of projected NBA game footage to recreate the life, careers, rivalry and eventual friendship of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

Filipino sports broadcaster Anthony Suntay was fortunate to have caught Magic/Bird on Broadway on its last weekend. He found the play factual, accurate and a fair facsimile of the lives of the two basketball Hall of Famers. The acting, he said, was quite substantial, with veteran comedian Peter Scolari standing out as he played both Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach and Lakers coach Pat Riley, among others. Scolari became known as the buddy of a young Tom Hanks in the sitcom “Bosom Buddies” and starred in the TV version of “Honey, I Shrunk the Kid.” By other accounts, many fathers came to the play wearing Los Angeles Lakers or Boston Celtics jerseys, and shared stories of the two hoops icons with their children in the theater. The producers are hoping to license the property not just in the United States, but also in other territories.

There are several major challenges the producers face given the magnitude of this project. First of all, how do they tell the Yankees’ complete story in the space of one play? Secondly, which characters and events will they highlight? Next, how do they re-enact all the championship games; will they resort to projecting videos on screens onstage like they did in Magic/Bird, or will they try something new? Many of these problems will be solved with the help of MLB, which will help with authenticating and verifying various elements of the play.

For sports fans, this is another exciting, refreshing take on a familiar story. We’re all curious not just to see accomplished sports athletes and personalities we know about brought back to life onstage, but also to learn about their lives off the playing courts and fields. It is also a challenge for an actor to reveal something new about public figures the world thinks it knows all too well.

But while sports fans may be forgiving and accepting, there are others who may not be. Some critics don’t see the importance of a piece on a well-known athlete, and may offer a differing view of the play’s production values. Others refuse to suspend their disbelief and simply accuse the production of using too many gimmicks. Still others treat plays with sports themes with hostility, as if it were an invasion of some sacred place they held the keys to. My advice would be to take the beat writers’ words with a grain of salt, and find out for yourself, if you happen to be in New York during the play’s run.

I’m just glad somebody’s telling sports stories on the world’s live arts stage.