Cast and Creative Team Set for Lydia R. Diamond's TONI STONE at The Huntington

The Huntington has reveald the cast and creative team of Toni Stone, a tenacious and inspiring original play written and directed by Lydia R. Diamond and inspired by the book Curveball: The Remarkable Story of Toni Stone by western Massachusetts journalist and author Martha Ackmann. The production runs from Friday, May 17 through Sunday, June 16, 2024 at the Huntington Theatre.
 
Based on Ackmann’s book, Diamond’s uplifting new play follows the experiences of Toni Stone, an ace ballplayer who knows her stats and has a great arm. Rejected by the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League because of her race, she becomes the first woman to play professional baseball on a man’s team in the Negro Leagues, shattering expectations and creating her own set of rules. Filled with humor and the love of the game, Huntington favorite Diamond knocks it out of the park with this beautiful, rich portrait of a trailblazing woman.
 
“I am so pleased to be back at The Huntington!” says playwright and director Diamond. “Toni Stone is a play that is especially close to my heart. A woman with a singular focus who, through hard work and tenacity, realized her dreams. This fabulous theatre has once again helped me realize mine… To direct a play that I am so proud of, in the warm embrace of a theatre that feels like home, and in a town that loves baseball as much as our fearless Toni did!”
 
Called “a grand slam!” by Broadway World and “Entertaining! Toni Stone bursts with the joys of life,” by The Chicago Tribune, Toni Stone makes its New England debut at The Huntington this spring, closing out a homerun first season of artistic programming for Huntington Norma Jean Calderwood Artistic Director Loretta Greco.
 
Greco says, “I love this play as much as I love baseball. The return of beloved playwright Lydia Diamond to The Huntington is cause alone for celebration – but combine it with her latest based on the real life story of the indomitable Toni Stone, the first woman to play professional baseball in the male baseball league – during actual baseball season, and in America’s most baseball-loving city – and the result is pure joy!”
 
Boston native and renowned dancer and choreographer Ebony Williams will choreograph the baseball in Toni Stone, bringing the movements of the game to life on stage. Known as one of the two dancers matching Beyoncé in the iconic “Single Ladies” music video, as well as the Associate Choreographer for the musical film In the Heights, Williams has danced and choreographed with some of the biggest names in Hollywood and was named “one of the top 25 dancers to watch” by Pointe Magazine. Much of her early training took place in Boston at the Roxbury Center for the Performing Arts, Boston Ballet School and Citydance, and Boston Conservatory.
 
The cast of Toni Stone includes:
 
Ryan Vincent Anderson as King Tut, the celebrity of the team who is looking for his next opportunity to join the major leagues. Credits include Peter Pan Goes Wrong on Broadway and the Broadway Tour of The Play That Goes Wrong.
 
Bobby Cius as Jimmy, the team’s newest member who is a little timid but plays fast and hard. Credits include K-I-S-S-I-N-G with The Huntington and Front Porch Arts Collective and Pass Over with SpeakEasy Stage.
 
Anthony T. Goss as Elzie, a tough-talking ballplayer whose macho swagger often covers up his closeted sexuality. Credits include Gong Lum’s Legacy and Cowboy Off Broadway.
 
Stanley Andrew Jackson as Millie, Toni’s confidant and closest friend. Credits include The Refuge Plays with Roundabout and Book of Will with A Noise Within Theatre Company.
 
Jonathan Kitt as Alberga, a Jamaican businessman who is drawn to Toni’s mind and energy. Credits include Boy x Man at Negro Ensemble Company and Becoming Something: Canada Lee with The Kraine Theater.
 
Al’Jaleel McGhee as Woody, a left-handed pitcher and Casanova that sometimes fails to arouse. Credits include the National Tour of A Soldier’s Play with Roundabout and Intimate Apparel with Northlight.
 
Jennifer Mogbock as Toni Stone, star player of the Negro Baseball Leagues for nearly a dozen years. Credits include: The Half-God Of Rainfall with New York Theatre Workshop and Merry Wives with The Public Theater.
 
Omar Robinson as Stretch, the team’s organized and methodical catcher, manager, and coach. Credits include: Common Ground Revisited and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead at The Huntington.
 
Blake Anthony Morris as Spec, the smartest member of the team. Credits include: Ain’t No Mo’ with The Public Theater and The Hot Wing King with Studio Theatre.
 
Olutayo Bosede as an ensemble member and dance captain. Credits include: Moulin Rouge! The Musical on Broadway and The Wiz Live! on NBC.
 
Understudies include: Dominic Carter, Todd McNeel, James Ricardo Milord, Hassiem Muhammad, and Eunice Woods.
 

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