Boxing and The Bard Make For Interesting One-Two Combination

Tunney/Shakespeare in Six Rounds
By David E. Lane
Featuring Jack Wetherall
Lighting Designer, John Ambrosone; Stage Manager, Emily F. McMullen
Presented through December 9, 2007 at Merrimack Repertory Theatre
Box Office 978-654-4MRT or www.merrimackrep.org

Boxing's undefeated Heavyweight Champion of the World Gene Tunney steps up as professor of Shakespeare at Yale in David E. Lane's Tunney/Shakespeare in Six Rounds, now having its world premiere at Merrimack Repertory Theatre in Lowell. Revealing the little-known fact that Tunney taught a Shakespeare course following his retirement from the ring, Lane employs the conceit to convey important life lessons from the boxer and the bard.

From the opening bell, the fourth wall comes down and the audience is the lecture hall filled with young, impressionable Yalies, waiting for the wisdom to be imparted by honorary Professor Tunney. It turns out he got the gig because he plays golf with a person of some esteem at the University, but even that provides a lesson in networking for his students and an example of the importance of luck and temperament in achieving success. He seems filled with wonder at his own success, coming as he did from a poor family in a tough neighborhood and leaving school at the age of 15, but he gives a lot of credit to reading Shakespeare. A chance encounter in the Marines started him on his literary journey and he used the plays for relaxation before his bouts, resulting in impeccable focus and, as he tells the class, transformation of his soul.

The playwright has structured Tunney/Shakespeare as a series of lectures, each featuring a work by Shakespeare that has some equivalent in Tunney's life and career. He compares Hamlet to the average person who performs poorly in important moments and his own obsession with defeating Jack Dempsey to the passion of Romeo and Juliet. While it may be beneficial to be well-schooled in Shakespearian literature, the teacher provides enough background and synopsis to make his points cogent and understandable. He also screens actual footage of the second boxing match between Dempsey and Tunney in 1927 to illustrate the parallel to the experience of Coriolanus.

Jack Wetherall shows Tunney's passion for the subject and his delight in having the opportunity to mold the minds of the college men as he spews out his philosophy on success, life, and attitude. He adopts the professorial demeanor and ambulates naturally as if in front of an auditorium, delivering his lectures in a conversational style. While it is a one-man show, this conveys the feeling of a larger cast as Wetherall makes eye contact and connects with members of the audience. When he asked a rhetorical question, someone in the front row raised his hand to answer!  There is a realistic quality to his portrayal which he achieves with minimal external assistance. The set consists only of a high-backed stool in the center, flanked by eight chair desks, and a large screen suspended upstage. The actor is dressed in a brown, three-piece pinstriped suit and tie in Act One, and comes out more casually attired in a navy double-breasted blazer, blue and white striped shirt with open collar, and cream colored slacks for the second act. He is ably aided by clear sound and bright lighting, the latter dimmed on occasion for dramatic effect.

With a running time of approximately two hours, it is commendable that a play with so little activity succeeds in holding the attention of the audience. I attribute that to good writing (both Lane AND Shakespeare) and good acting. However, I have to deduct a few points for Wetherall being "on book" during the latter part of Act Two as it detracted from the drama inherent in the champ's emotional conclusion to his lecture series. (Expect this to become a non-issue as the run of the play continues.) Still, it is a worthwhile endeavor to tell the story of this accomplished man and the many roles he took on in his lifetime. From underprivileged beginning, to World War I Marine, to World Heavyweight Champion, to successful businessman, this slice of Gene Tunney's life merits an intimate look and helps us to appreciate the role that one of the all-time great playwrights played in it.

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