Want to know where the madness in Mariner madness begins? Track back to organized baseball’s first teachers, the coaches. These guys still fight over whether the game is about fun or winning. So what do kids and grownups, players and watchers, pick up on?
Snohomish Theater Project performed an up close and personal answer to that question last weekend at Phoenix Theatre in Edmonds.
The answer was Robert Dresser’s “Rounding Third.”
This hilarious conglomeration of stereotypes and clichés puts you, the audience, in the eyes, ears and minds of kids on a Little League team subjected to an all-out war between male egos: that of their coach, obsessed with winning, and that of his assistant, determined to promote fun regardless of outcome. The conflict is classic, confusing to kids and, if you have ever seen a Little League game, true to life. Believe me; the comic view is far more palatable than the serious side.
Asa Sholdez (fresh from his enchanting hilarity as the Artist in “The Artist’s Brush” on stage the week before) packed, wrapped and delivered the hilarious mix of victory-at-any-cost, beer-drinking, guy’s guy coach and miserable excuse for a family man. If Sholdez was on fire the week before, he was red hot in this one. Funny, pathetic, easy to empathize with and a perfect dufus, his was a laugh-a-minute performance. No doubt about it. Asa is aces.
Opposite Sholdez and every bit the straight man for his funny man was Michael Hudson. Hudson put you off with the namby-pamby, touchy-feely version of his nice-guys-finish-last but roped you back in with the tough-minded version of what it takes to be patient, caring and looking out for the impressionable side of youngsters during formative years. He sneaked in and made a memorable place for a character that could easily have stayed lost as a pantywaist. Kudos to Hudson.
Also, behind the scenes, show time or baseball, director Eric Lewis knows the game and how to play it. Imagine, a two-man tour de force for two hours holding attention to start to finish, without lapse. Coaching that kind of thing and making it work is going some. Good job, Lewis.
This was All-American comedy geared to the segment of our population that eats, breathes and sleeps baseball all season long
By the way, Phoenix Theatre in Edmonds hosted this little foray into the Little League side of our American Pastime. Snohomish Theater Project is temporarily homeless while their digs in Everett are being renovated. They did “Rounding Third” at Historic Everett Theatre week before last.
Imagine, one community theater sharing its performing space with a homeless one. How is that for pooling resources? Show people, they show people.
Reactions? Comments? E-mail Dale Burrows at entfeatures@heraldnet.com or grayghost7@comcast.net.
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