Comments (0) Best Revival - 2006
Bleacher Bums
Maybe any play not being staged for the first time is a revival for someone. And usually this strait-laced term is restricted for Shakespeare or Shaw or even (forgive the expression) uncut productions of Eugene O'Neill. Compared to those heavyweights, Bleacher Bums, which is billed as a comedy in nine innings, is light fare indeed. But Hydeware Theatre's production was light fare that worked. This show was so fresh, it was hard to believe that the script is 29 years old. Imagine a Cubs-Cardinals game at Wrigley Field in the era of Willie McGee and Ozzie Smith. What this show teaches us is that enough accumulated clich?s can morph into an ode to joy. Not only did the production bristle with energy and a sense of crackling spontaneity, but it also provided the only venue all summer where you could be assured that the Redbirds would beat the Wee Bears at Wrigley.
