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PICTURES
By MARGARET BOSWELL
CORRESPONDENT
STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
Tale of Little
League ball amuses, entertains crowd
Saturday, May 21, 2005
"Rounding Third," a new play for this area, opened Friday night at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. It was presented by ADHD Productions, also a new player here
And very welcome it is.
Every few years, a "little" company like this springs up with a new crop
of actors on the local scene. Some work, some don't.
This one certainly worked Friday night. Mac Warren as Don and Jason
Goodreau as Michael, both quite talented, amused and entertained the
audience (in the Club Room at Hoogland).
They also exhibited quite a bit of depth playing Little League coaches.
Warren is a macho man, having spent some time in the dugout, and
Goodreau is the new assistant coach, Mr. Wimp. He has signed up to help
his son, Frankie, find some purpose and a personal identity through
baseball. Both father and son find them, while Warren, running into some
rough spots in his personal life, softens up.
The two interact very well, never missing a beat in their reaction
times.
There are quite a few life lessons taught, but very gently - like what
is and is not cheating, how to relate to women and a few others.
What was really neat
(forgive me, it's coming) and right on the ball (OK, pun over) is that
it all seems to fit right into a reality frame. It's not hard to see
what these men think about themselves and each other.
At the end, Goodreau suggests the two have become friends, though Warren
rejects the idea. Still, there is a sneaky little feeling - no matter
what they say - that they are friends.
As an aside, let me say I have seen far too many cable promos for a new
series called "Sports Kids, Moms and Dads." How they got the parents to
sign releases on these promos is beyond me. Each one shows the adults,
all jerks, pushing and shoving their children and totally oblivious to
what they are doing. I wouldn't watch this with a gun to my head.
"Rounding Third," written by Richard Dresser, has somewhat of the same
motif running through it - adults, kids and sport - but the difference
is amazing. In this case, the play far surpasses reality (if that's what
the TV series is, and if it is, we are in big trouble).
An idea Warren and Goodreau had was to spotlight local musicians before
the show and at intermission.
I spent half an hour before the show and 20 minutes at intermission in
the hall because the band (which should have been in a bar, not at a
play) was so loud it was driving me crazy. However, I did have a nice
long chat with two charming young women who were ushering at the play
and had also sought refuge in the hall. The idea was a nice one, but it
doesn't work.
Lose the music. Let the letters to the editor flow.
"Rounding Third" will be presented at 7:03 p.m. (yes, that's right)
today and May 27-28. Tickets are $7; phone 523-2787. Seats are not
reserved.
Margaret Boswell is a retired arts reporter and copy editor for The
State
Journal-Register. She can be reached at magbos23@netzero.net.
"Dedicated to the advancement of innovative arts and arts education"
ADHD Productions, 2005