Fake Wild Strawberry

Dana is an artist whose gallery show just screwed the pooch. And her boyfriend abandoned her because of her ensuing depression and raging paranoia. So she does the artistically honorable thing and give suicide a whirl -- but it doesn't take, and she ends up in the psych ward. Dana's losing streak continues unabated, as her insurance is quickly running out; this is bad, because Dana finds she enjoys the structure and the quiet of hospital life. So she does what any sane person would do: She pretends that she believes she is Darryl Strawberry, former MLB slugger famous for his beauteous left-hand swing, despite knowing nothing about baseball, and, you know, being a woman. A white woman, at that. With a little baseball help from her new friends, the alcoholic and the stalker, Dana attempts to forge a new life for herself; it's a life based on a lie, but hey, whaddya gonna do? The NonProphet Theatre Company presents Rebecca Gilman's The Sweetest Swing in Baseball at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday (May 15 through 24) at the Regional Arts Commission. Tickets are $12 to $15; call 314-752-5075 or visit www.nptco.org for more information.
Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 5 p.m. Starts: May 15. Continues through May 24, 2009