It traces the origin of the Curse to a collision of three orphaned souls: Johnny O’Brien, a hard-luck right-hander on the 1919 Sox; his idol, Babe Ruth; and Daisy Wyatt, a dazzling African-American blues singer and the love of Johnny’s life. These three lives contain both the reason for the Curse and the secret to its end off the bat of Big Papi in 2004. Johnny Baseball packs a thoughtful commentary on American social history into a fun and spirited musical that will bring cheers and tears to baseball fans everywhere.
Johnny Baseball
Extended by popular demand to July 11
"Terrific show.... Sends you into the street with a bounce in your step."
— Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe
WORLD PREMIERE
Johnny Baseball, the new musical about the Red Sox, is an exhilarating blend of fact, fiction, and the mystical power of the game.
Multimedia
Audiences love Johnny Baseball, the new musical about the Red Sox. NOW PLAYING!
Willie Reale, Richard Dresser, and Colin Donnell get interviewed by Heidi Watney of NESN at Fenway Park about Johnny Baseball
Radio spot for Johnny Baseball featuring Bob Lobel
"Cleverly crafted and terrifically performed.... Helmer Diane Paulus hits a clean line drive straight into center field with a thoughtful, crowd-pleasing and deftly balanced show."
— Variety
In the News
"Musicals and Red Sox fans don’t mix -- until Johnny Baseball is taken into account. The Diane Paulus-directed production, currently in an extended run at the Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge, Mass., offers a taste of 2004’s Yawkey Way juxtaposed with the Boston of the early to mid-1900s..." -NESN
"If you can’t get a ticket to see the Sox, the spirit and culture of Fenway Park can be experienced at a different venue. The A.R.T. has transformed the Loeb Drama Center into a mini ballpark for Johnny Baseball..." -Boston Metro
"A.R.T. knocks it out of the park again!... An extraordinary ensemble.... Stunning vocals.... [Johnny Baseball has] the kind of heart that would, curse be damned, keep a city rooting for its hometown heroes." -Boston Metro
Beloved Red Sox alum Bill "Spaceman" Lee (the lefty pitched for the home team from 1969 to 1978) gives his take on Johnny Baseball in this Boston Herald interview.
An interview with Stephanie Umoh, who plays the role of Daisy Wyatt in Johnny Baseball.
WGBH Greater Boston's Jared Bowen talks to the creators of Johnny Baseball.
"Exhilarating.... An engrossing, emotionally resonant story that mingles fact and fiction." - Edge Boston
Johnny Baseball is "cleverly crafted and terrifically performed.... Helmer Diane Paulus hits a clean line drive straight into center field with a thoughtful, crowd-pleasing and deftly balanced show that even a Yankee could love." - Variety
"A solid double: a lively story that will please diehard fans and rookies alike." - Boston Globe
"Just as the Red Sox deserved a World Series win, so too does Boston deserve a musical to call its own…JOHNNY BASEBALL." - Boston Herald
“Johnny Baseball is wicked fun. If you like American musicals and like the pageantry, ritual and mythology of Red Sox fandom, you will love this. If you like the Sox stuff, but don’t like musicals, you’re going to have a good time too..." - Blast magazine
WBUR's Bob Oakes and Lisa Tobin on Johnny Baseball...
NECN Style Boston video on Johnny Baseball.
Edge Boston profile of Stephanie Umoh, who plays Daisy Wyatt in Johnny Baseball.
The Boston Globe looks at the creation of Johnny Baseball
Press Releases
June 10, 2010
February 26, 2010
Creative Team
Music by
Lyrics by
Book by
Story by
Directed by
Cast:
| Johnny O’Brien | Colin Donnell* |
| Daisy Wyatt | Stephanie Umoh* |
| Barman/Porter/Tim Wyatt | Charl Brown* |
| Fan 1/Babe Ruth/Crony 1 | Burke Moses* |
| Fan 2/Wally Schang/Ed Barrow/ | Jeff Brooks* |
| Barker/Purdy/Tom Yawkey | |
| Fan 3/Player 1/Yankee Batter/Chick McHale/ | Robert McClure* |
| Conductor/Snodgrass/Crony 2/Kaplan | |
| Fan 4/Manager/Player 2/Umpire/Guy 1/Cronin | Joe Cassidy* |
| Vendor/Baron/Porter/Harold/Willie | Alan H. Green* |
| Fan 5/Greta/Razor Girl/Patty Booster/Woman | Carly Jibson* |
| Fan 6/Razor Girl/Nurse/Donna Devine | Kaitlyn Davidson* |
| Fan 7/Cherie/Razor Girl/Genevieve Booster | Kirsten Wyatt* |
| Fan 8/Drunk Woman/Erma Devine | Paula Leggett Chase* |
| Fan 9 | Charles Turner* |
| Robby | Erik March |
| Announcer | Zach Villa |
Creative Staff:
| Choreography | Peter Pucci |
| Scenic Design | Scott Pask |
| Costume Design | Michael McDonald |
| Lighting Design | Donald Holder |
| Sound Design | ACME Sound Partners |
| Musical Arrangements | Bruce Coughlin |
| Vocal Arrangements and Music Direction | Wendy Bobbitt Cavett |
| Casting | Stephen Kopel |
| Associate Director | Shira Milikowsky |
| PR & Marketing Consultants | Saragoni & Company |
| Production Stage Manager | Chris De Camillis* |
| Stage Manager | Katherine Shea* |
| Assistant Choreographer | Zach Villa |
| Music Copying | Emily Grishman, Katherine Edmonds |
| Dramaturgy | Ryan McKittrick, Brendan Shea |
| Dialect Coach | Nancy Houfek |
| Production Assistant | Vanessa Poggioli |
| Dance Captain | Kaitlyn Davidson |
| Rehearsal Pianist | Molly Gachignard |
Musicians:
| Tim Ray | Associate Music Director/Conductor/Piano |
| Mark Pinto | Piccolo/Flute/Clarinet/Alto Saxophone |
| Robert Bowlby | Flute/Clarinet/Tenor Saxophone |
| Rod Ferland | Clarinet/Bass Clarinet/Baritone Saxophone |
| Jay Daly | Trumpet/Flugelhorn |
| Robert Couture | Trombone/Euphonium |
| Joseph Higgins | Bass |
| Michael Ambroszewski | Percussion |
(*) Members of Actors’ Equity Association
Non-Required Reading
A note from authors Richard Dresser and Willie Reale.
A note from Director Diane Paulus.
For baseball rookies, the following is a digest of the important figures, essential factoids and historical moments in Red Sox history. By Brandon Shea.
A.R.T. Dramaturg Ryan McKittrick speaks with the creators of Johnny Baseball: writer Richard Dresser, composer Robert Reale, and lyricist Willie Reale.
Josh Gibson is said to have hit over 800 career home runs; one of them was so high and deep that it disappeared into the clouds. The next day, the same two teams were playing in a different city. A baseball fell out of the sky, right smack into an outfielder's glove. The umpire yelled: "You're out, Gibson! Yesterday!"
Sponsors
The World Premiere of JOHNNY BASEBALL is being made possible by a grant from the Edgerton Foundation New Play Awards
Performance Dates:
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Part of:
Venue:
64 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Need to know:
Group rates and VIP Box Seats available!
Discussions:
Special panel discussion:
Tues., June 22, 9:45 p.m.
“Race, Sports, and Civil Rights: How Far Have We Come?”
A panel discussion moderated by Professor Charles Ogletree, Harvard Law School Jesse Climenko Professor of Law and author of The Presumption of Guilt: The Arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Race, Class, and Crime in America
With panelists:
- Howard Bryant, senior writer for ESPN.com and ESPN the Magazine, and author of Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston
- Richard Taylor, CEO of Taylor Smith Realty
- Alan H. Green, Johnny Baseball cast member
- Charles Turner, Johnny Baseball cast member
Pre-performance discussions at 6:30 p.m.:
Wed., May 19; Sun., May 23; Thur., June 10
Post-performance discussions follow the Saturday matinees on:
May 22 (with Richard Dresser, Robert Reale, and Diane Paulus), May 29, June 5, June 12
Special post-performance panel discussions follow the performances on:
Thursday, May 20: A discussion with Richard Dresser, Robert Reale, and Willie Reale
Wednesday, June 9: A discussion with Richard Dresser, Willie Reale, and historian Martha Ackmann (author of Curveball: The Remarkable Story of Toni Stone, the First Woman to Play Professional Baseball in the Negro League). Moderated by Carol Beggy. Martha Ackmann will sign copies of Curveball before the show and after the discussion.
Extras:
Special Johnny Baseball Menu
Policies:
Recommended for ages 13+.
Some elements of the play may not be appropriate for all ages. Younger children are welcome to attend at the discretion of a parent, guardian, or chaperone.
