MCGUIRE To Run On El Portal Theater's Mainstage 4/9-12

Dick Enberg's play, McGuire, about legendary Marquette basketball coach Al McGuire will be presented on the historic El Portal Theatre's Mainstage in North Hollywood, April 9-12, 2009. McGuire stars award-winning Broadway and television actor Cotter Smith. Heidi Mueller-Smith directs. McGuire at the El Portal Theatre is positioned to immediately follow the NCAA Final Four weekend in Detroit.

This year marks the 32nd anniversary of McGuire's triumphant NCAA championship in Atlanta as head coach at Marquette. The show debuted on the Marquette campus in Milwaukee, Wis. in 2005 to sell-out audiences. It also has played at the ALLIANCE THEATRE in Atlanta, Hofstra University, and North Coast Rep in Solana Beach, California.

Those who saw Al McGuire lead the 1977 Marquette basketball team to the national championship knew him to be quite a character. McGuire's final game was March 28, 1977, the NCAA championship game in Atlanta in which Marquette beat North Carolina, 67-59. McGuire's popularity only increased when he moved into a second career as a sportscaster for NBC and CBS, where he teamed with Enberg and Billy Packer, forming one of broadcastings most entertaining and unpredictable teams. McGuire died January 26, 2001 of a blood disorder at the age of 72.

As his broadcasting partner for 10 years, Enberg gained access to the colorful, creative, poetic, outspoken, and brilliant life of Al McGuire - from his childhood, to winning the NCAA Championship at Marquette University, to his pioneering "off the cuff" style of sports broadcasting. In this touching and inspiring play, Enberg allows Al to reveal his inner secrets and private thoughts that he kept from the public and depicts why the philosophy of this uncommonly funny and profound man had such an important and lasting impact on so many.

An enduring element of Enberg's broadcasting legacy is his ability to provide warm and poignant reflections on the sporting events he covers. "Enberg Essays," as they have come to be known, is a now-regular feature of CBS' coverage of college basketball's Final Four.

Distinguished actor Cotter Smith will reprise his role as McGuire. Smith's New York theatre credits include the Broadway production of Wendy Wasserstein's An American Daughter, Lanford Wilson's Burn This and Paula Vogel's How I Learned to Drive, as well as ten years as a member of The Circle Repertory Company. His numerous television and film credits range from his debut twenty-five years ago as Robert Kennedy in the mini-series Blood Feud to his more recent role as the President of the United States in the Twentieth Century Fox film X2: X-Men United. Most recently on television he guest starred on ABC'S Brothers and Sisters.

Basketball Hall of Famer and Emmy-Award winning Sportscaster Bill Walton says:

"With the unfettered access of being Al's best friend for decades and the remarkable memory of someone who was actually there for most of the incredible journey of Al's lifetime, Dick Enberg has captured flawlessly one of the most important, inspirational and interesting personalities our world has ever known....Cotter Smith's performance here is nothing short of brilliant..."

Widely regarded the most versatile announcer in sports broadcasting, Dick Enberg is currently in his ninth year calling play-by-play for CBS Sports' coverage of NFL football, college basketball, and professional tennis events. He has broadcast every major professional sporting event, including 10 Super Bowls, 9 Rose Bowls, 6 Orange Bowls, 4 Olympic Games, golf's Major tournaments, NBA playoffs and All-Star games, and all four Grand Slam Tennis championships multiple times. Dick is one of the most decorated broadcasters in the world and has the distinction of being only one of four sportscasters with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Other major awards bestowed upon Mr. Enberg include 9 Sportscaster of the Year Awards, the Victor Award as the top sportscaster of the past 40 years, and he is the only person to win multiple (14) national Emmy Awards in all three categories of broadcasting, writing, and producing.

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