"ROUNDING THIRD" at Northlight Theatre in North Shore Center for the Performing Arts
BY LUCIA MAURO
When I first read Richard Dresser’s script for "Rounding Third" – receiving its world premiere at Northlight Theatre -- I broke into unexpected guffaws and sobs. The two-character tragicomedy is mainly set on a Little League playing field, where the snarling, win-at-all-costs coach Don battles it out with his new assistant coach, Michael, a sensitive guy who believes the joy is in the playing not the winning. The work’s invigorating yin-and-yang structure – and the subsequent truths it reveals about each man’s expectations in life – speak to questions that loom larger than who gets to play short stop.
Director BJ Jones’ decision to cast George Wendt at Don seemed a logical and wise choice, considering the Second City veteran and TV actor-comedian’s ability to blur the lines between laughter and tears. But, on opening night, Wendt strained to project and deliver his lines – rushing through pivotal moments and lingering over less significant points. Out of breath for most of the first act, he got a better handle on the role by the second half. But, overall, his flat reading of the monumentally complex Don leveled the playwright’s carefully calibrated shaping of a man who buries himself in baseball to avoid facing the devastating truths about his life.
As Michael, the technically adept Matthew Arkin is so committed to unleashing the nuances of his hapless character that he unveils new and invigorating dimensions one may not have discerned in a first reading of the script. So Arkin fully fleshes out the more subtle "straight man" of the comedy duo, while Wendt underplays Don to the point of insignificance.
Both actors, needless to say, are not batting for the same theatrical team. And their diametrically opposed approaches open a wide gap on stage that neither performer can transcend. Wendt’s casual naturalness pitted against Arkin’s impeccably honest honing of a role creates some uncomfortable discrepancies. We end up believing in Arkin’s Michael more than Don, despite Wendt’s skill at capturing the latent self-doubts of the average Everyman. Here Wendt plays every line at the same ho-hum, exhausted level.
These challenges are magnified by Northlight’s technically over-embellished production at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts. A two-person play must rely almost exclusively on the give and take of the two main actors. When they’re not flowing inside a rhythmically sound loop or groove, the story threatens to break down, too. And, although Dresser employs the conventional structure of two opposites somewhat trading emotional places by the end of the play, his story is a topical and touching one.
The gruff Don represents a relic from the masculine rights of passage pre-dating political correctness. He’s quick to judge the kids’ abilities; snickers at anyone who might prefer school musicals to baseball; drinks a lot of beer; and expects his wife to make homemade snacks for the team. On the other hand, Don takes some of the more troubled kids under his wing and does what he’s supposed to do as a coach: guide his team to victory – even if it means finding loop holes in the Little League Handbook.
Michael, who grew up in Canada and played on a curling team, becomes the brunt of many of Don’s jokes. Perpetually late for practice because of a demanding boss and incessant traffic, Michael does not immediately score points with the ultra-committed Don. Michael also wants to give every kid a chance to feel like he’s achieved something and downplays the competitive urge.
Both men’s sons are on the team. Interestingly, Don’s son Jimmy is a top player but eventually opts out to star in "Brigadoon"; Michael’s near-sighted son Frank has trouble catching and throwing the ball, but his commitment and resilience are unrivaled.
There are many issues emerging from "Rounding Third" – many of which involve a modern society, where young men struggle with reaching an acceptable balance that doesn’t veer too far over into the emasculated or macho camps. Fathers bonding with their sons crops up, as does the whole idea of flinging judgment upon people we don’t even come close to understanding.
By the end, Dresser does not attempt to reconcile Don’s and Michael’s retrofitted relationship. Instead, he sends them on their separate ways. The play, more than anything else, seems to be about a plea for honesty (toward ourselves, our relationships, our goals) and the liberating fulfillment that comes from not trying too hard to make impossible situations work.
That said, Jones’ production need not so overwhelmingly mirror this idea in the hopeless disengagement of the two lead actors. Arkin, sadly, cannot bounce his character’s angst-laden quirks and quiet desperation against Wendt’s monochromatic Don. The only time Wendt honestly elicits Don’s bruised heart is when he asks Arkin, in a crushingly disappointed tone, "Why are you making fun of me and the game of baseball?" If only Wendt could infuse his character with this tender but electrifying sense of emotional spontaneity, he would come very close to the playwright’s stolid but tormented figure on the page.
Todd Rosenthal’s artfully scruffy baseball diamond scenic design -- with its worn scoreboard, looming fence and monstrous spotlights – is impressive, albeit consciously contrived (especially the excessive on- and off-driving of a real van. Lighting designer Chris Binder fares better with his poetically unfettered illumination. Sound designer Lindsay Jones turns the theater into an apropos organ-tinged ballpark.
But even the professional-level sound effects – from crowd cheers to announcers’ voices -- could be toned down. This is Little League, not the World Series. And, on a less literal level, the play’s competing teams are really trying to avoid striking out in life.•
"Rounding Third" runs through November 17 at Northlight Theatre in Skokie’s North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd. Tickets: $36-$46. Call 847-673-6300 or log onto www.northlight.org.
