Review: GOING TO SEE THE KID in World Premiere at MRT

Going to See The Kid

Written by Steven Drukman, Directed by Alexander Greenfield; Scenic Designer, Jason Sherwood; Costume Designer, Stephanie Levin; Lighting Designer, Brian J. Lilienthal; Sound Designer, Alex Neumann; Dialect Coach, Christine Hamel; Production Stage Manager, Casey L. Hagwood; Stage Manager, Danielle Zandri; Producer, Peter Crewe

CAST (in order of appearance): Veronika Duerr, Joel Colodner, John Gregorio

Performances through December 24 at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, 50 East Merrimack Street, Lowell, MA; Box Office 978-654-4678 or www.mrt.org

Before we had the greatest quarterback that ever played in the National Football League, Boston had the greatest hitter that ever lived in the person of one Theodore Samuel Williams. The Red Sox left fielder and Hall of Famer retired from the game in 1960, but he remains the batting star against whom all Red Sox players since have been measured. During his heyday, Ted's surliness and stubborn personality contributed to rifts with the local media and did not endear him to the community, but his output on the field was admired with awe. All was seemingly forgiven when Williams had the honor of throwing out the first pitch for the 1999 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. When he died in 2002, his reputation was revived and his legacy intact.

Sounds like a good subject for a play, doesn't it? Newton native and playwright Steven Drukman apparently thought so, and Merrimack Repertory Theatre is presenting the world premiere of Going to See The Kid under the direction of Alexander Greenfield, the Director of New Play Development at MRT. It's a feel good, family friendly story set in "Red Sox Nation" in the Fall of 2001 and Christmas, 2002, and centers on themes of empathy, teamwork, and overcoming differences to achieve a joint goaL. Williams is the fulcrum that the plot revolves around, but like many things in life, it is the journey which has greater importance than the destination.

Two Boston Globe reporters take on a joint assignment to travel to Florida to interview the legend. Ellis (named for 1950s Red Sox pitcher Ellis Kinder) is a rookie stringer hoping to parlay the Q&A into a full-time staff position so she'll be able to provide health insurance for her ailing father. She is a died-in-the-wool Bosox fanatic who rattles off Williams' impressive statistics as easily as reciting the alphabet and cannot believe her good fortune when she gets the gig. However, it comes as unwelcome news to Ellis (Veronika Duerr) when Simon (Joel Colodner), an intellectual, veteran lifestyle writer, informs her that he will be doing a major profile piece on Williams, while she will compile stats into a sidebar. Adding insult to injury, Simon couldn't tell a balk from a walk and would rather watch an opera than game seven of the World Series.

Anticipating that the 1500-mile road trip is a disaster waiting to happen, Ellis convinces her graduate student husband David (John Gregorio) to come along for the ride as a buffer, suggesting that he can work on his thesis in the back seat. The two reporters get along like oil and water, but David and Simon mesh. Ellis takes to addressing the audience to garner support, but eventually the tide turns when she and Simon face down a jerk in a bar. Simon advises Ellis that real collaboration is about empathy, having to listen to one another. Coincidently, David's thesis is about empathy, giving his presence on the trip a purpose for the playwright.

Let me pause here as I cannot suspend my disbelief to include David's thesis topic. Going to See The Kid already stretches the bounds of believability that any newspaper would send a pair of reporters on a junket of this duration and expense, with four overnight stops along the way, and, because Simon's car dies in Florida, cover their return airfare. Granted, the play is set at the start of the millennium when the print media was better off financially than today, but they weren't all that flush then, either, owing to the rapid rise of the Internet.

Okay, back to the evolving relationship. When Simon and Ellis get their audience with Williams (played by Gregorio in a wheelchair and Red Sox regalia), he is crotchety and uncooperative, spewing a flurry of expletives (bleeped out by the sound of an air horn) unfit for a family newspaper. The playwright intervenes here with a strange idea - that the three of them should "elevate the discourse" by shifting to Shakespearean language. Huh? The actors are up to the task, but it seems to come out of, you'll pardon the expression, left field.

Greenfield worked in a dramaturgical capacity with Drukman to develop The Kid and his knowledge of the play is evident. He draws relatable performances from the cast, all of whom are familiar to MRT audiences. Colodner conveys intelligence and dignity, while disguising Simon's inner soft spot that he covers with condescension. Duerr gets inside the skin of the ardent fan and striving journalist, while also finding Ellis' fears and insecurity. Like many before her, she struggles with getting the Boston accent right consistently. Gregorio plays David as the supportive husband, but doesn't hesitate to stand up for himself. He is fun to watch as he takes on a series of other characters who appear briefly and does a great job of differentiating them.

Scenic designer Jason Sherwood's set is made of LED lights encased in plexiglass boxes, showing actual text from Boston Globe articles. A portion of the backdrop reveals a projection of a highway when the trio goes on the road trip, and a center doorway slides open when Williams wheels out to meet with them. A bank of large lights shine out to backlight him, like a rock star making his entrance. Lighting designer Brian J. Lilienthal also lights different areas of the stage to specify a location, such as a bar, a hospital room, and a hotel lobby, without moving a lot of set pieces on and off. Costume designer Stephanie Levin dresses Simon in a professorial style and Ellis and David More casually. Alex Neumann provides the ear blasting horn honks to drown out Williams' salty talk, the quiet drone of the highway sounds, and music on the car radio, including the familiar Fenway Park anthem, "Sweet Caroline."

Fittingly, Going to See The Kid wraps up at Christmastime with a warm and fuzzy conclusion. Gifts are exchanged between Ellis and Simon, further cementing the bond they established by working toward their common goal. In that way, the play achieves its goal to convey the spirit of the holiday season. Now, if MRT wants to give all of us a gift, let's see how the home town team does in 2017. Play ball!

Photo credit: Merrimack Repertory Theatre (Joel Colodner, Veronika Duerr)