Review Roundup: Alliance Theatre's BULL DURHAM- Updating Live!

Alliance Theatre just opened the world premiere of Bull Durham, a new musical based on the beloved 1988 film. Directed by Kip Fagan (Off-Broadway: The Revisionist), Bull Durham has a book by Academy Award-nomineeRon Shelton (director and screenwriter of the Bull Durham movie) and music and lyrics by Susan Werner, whom the Chicago Tribune called, "one of the most innovative songwriters working today." Broadway veterans John Behlmann, Melissa Errico, and Will Swenson star as the Veteran catcher "Crash" Davis (Swenson), rookie pitcher Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh (Behlmann) and Annie Savoy (Errico).

BULL DURHAM, loosely based on Ron Shelton's experiences on and off the field with a Minor League Baseball team, tells the story of three lives brought together by America's two favorite pastimes. Veteran catcher "Crash" Davis has been brought to the Durham Bulls to prepare rookie Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh, a hot rod pitcher with a "million dollar arm and a five cent head," for the majors. Annie Savoy, self-appointed high priestess and muse of the Bulls, has a hard decision to make - every season she transforms one lucky player from an also-ran to an all-star by sharing with them her wisdom, experience, and bed. The love triangle heats up quickly as each character struggles with their own desires and hopes for what the future holds. Bull Durham is a pitch perfect blend of comedy, drama, and steamy romance.

Let's see what the critics had to say...

Charles Isherwood, The New York Times: "Bull Durham," a musical making its premiere at the Alliance Theater here, adapted from the 1988 movie written and directed by Ron Shelton, hits a solid double...But while it's been enjoyably set to song and dance, the musical feels more formulaic than inspired. The fine-grained charms of the movie have been amplified in ways that smother some of its funky, knuckleball appeal...The fine performers in the musical cannot be blamed for failing to match the wattage of the originals; it's more a matter of their characters seeming to have lost a little offbeat appeal in the translation to the stage, their quirks curdling into cuteness...bouncy and appealing as many of the songs are, they often just underline the basic love-triangle arc of the story, dutifully illustrating its turning points without adding emotional texture. Which means that, as with many a skillful but unexceptional musical of recent vintage, there's no particular value added in translating "Bull Durham" from screen to stage.

Frank Rizzo, Variety: Sex, baseball and religion come together in a pleasurable but uneven new tuner based on the 1988 film "Bull Durham," preeming at Atlanta's Alliance Theater. Like the Bulls, the North Carolina farm team of the title, the show has its scruffy charms, renegade spirit and occasional dazzle. But there's still work to do before this tuner steps up to the "show," slang here for when a player makes it to the big leagues, especially with a second act that loses its aim once one of its stars steps off the plate. A musical home run or two - or even a triple - would help to bolster a score that flags as the innings wind down. As source material, the film supplies strong characters, colorful dialogue and a playful and easy-going sensibility that hovers around a musical backdrop of gospel, honky-tonk and ballads. Ron Shelton nicely re-crafts his sly and frisky screenplay for the stage, expanding several of the supporting characters (the team clown, a pious player, a baseball groupie), adding a few updated elements and even creating a new player.

RJH, Atlanta Cultural Arts Reviews: With a cast of 28 players, the show moves through 20 different scenes with great ease. The live orchestra is under the baton of Jason DeBord, and the sets designed by Derek McLane are a work of art. There are more than dozen high energy numbers and some very good choreography which is used to move the story line along. It is a love found, love lost, love hopefully regained type of script. And the baseball aspect is one of think or play and do what you have to do. Naturally, they do sing Take Me Out to the Ball Game and while the other numbers are not standards you will know, they work quite well; and some patrons were already searching for the CDs for their cars. Soon to come, I'm certain.

Wendell Brock, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Shelton's quirky romantic comedy has been brilliantly reimagined as a song-and-dance spectacle by composer Susan Werner, choreographer Joshua Bergasse and director Kip Fagan. While most of the material was already there for the taking in Shelton's original screenplay, Werner knocks it out of the park with a first-string score of gospel, rock and folk numbers. Considering that neither Shelton (who contributes the book) nor Werner has any previous theater-writing experience, "Bull Durham" is a wildly impressive debut.

Manning Harris, Atlanta Intown: Bull Durham's" secret weapon is the love that the players have for one another; when they huddle in the middle of a game to discuss Millie and Jake's wedding presents and Nuke's jammed chakras, they totally won my heart. They're not in The Show and they know it, but their shared humanity and love are lovely to behold. All right-to make it to the Big Apple the show has to tighten up and lose some dead weight about three-fourths of the way into the second act. Call in the play doctors; this show deserves a Broadway run (The Show!), and this tweaking must be done. Frankly, I had a ball at "Bull Durham"; you will, too. It will only get better and better.

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