MR. COOL to Premiere at Theatrical Outfit This August
The Atlanta premiere imagines an encounter with tennis great Arthur Ashe to examine legacy and identity.
What happens when your hero tells the truth? That question sits at the heart of MR. COOL, a new theatrical work that fuses the intimacy of a live podcast with the emotional power of the stage. Described as 'A Podcast Play in Five Sets,' the production explores identity, masculinity, race, mental health, and the lasting impact of the stories we tell ourselves.
The play follows Ray Masinloc, a fallen Filipino-American UFC champion who has reinvented himself as the host of the wildly popular podcast Ray of Fight, where he conducts live séances with legendary athletes. For his season finale, recorded before a live audience at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Ray summons the spirit of tennis icon Arthur Ashe, hoping for inspiration and validation. Instead, he receives something far more unsettling: the truth.
What begins as an interview transforms into a powerful reckoning with legacy, public identity, and the weight of expectation. Through Arthur Ashe's unwavering honesty, Ray is forced to confront the performance he's created for the world—and the one he's been living for himself.
Written for today's culture of personal brands, curated identities, and constant performance, MR. COOL asks timely questions: What remains when the performance ends? Who gets to be imperfect? Can public success heal private wounds? What does it truly mean to leave a legacy?
The production stars Matt Mercurio (The Pitt, Chicago Fire) as Ray Masinloc and Stephen Ruffin (Chicago Fire, Snowfall) as Arthur Ashe and directed by Filipe Valle Costa. While rooted in Ashe's extraordinary life and legacy, the play also draws inspiration from the lives of iconic athletes including Muhammad Ali, Kobe Bryant, Florence Griffith-Joyner, Diego Maradona, and Ayrton Senna - figures whose achievements transcended sport while revealing the personal costs of greatness.
ABOUT THE PLAY
MR. COOL is a bold new theatrical event that blends live podcasting, sports history, and supernatural storytelling to explore legacy, identity, race, masculinity, and mental health. The play follows Ray Masinloc, a fallen Filipino-American UFC champion who reinvents himself as the host of the hit podcast Ray of Fight, where he conducts live séances with legendary athletes. During the season finale, staged before a live audience at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Ray attempts to interview tennis icon Arthur Ashe. What begins as a spectacle becomes a deeply personal reckoning as Ashe challenges Ray to confront the stories he tells himself—and the cost of living up to the expectations of others. Through wit, vulnerability, and unexpected humor, MR. COOL asks what remains after fame fades and whether redemption is possible when we're finally forced to face the truth.
Performances will run August 7-16.
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