Theater Online - New York Theater Reviews

Richard Dresser’s 2006 play, Rounding Third, is the perfect piece for Father’s Day, examining two dads whose opposing life philosophies result in continuing conflict as they share the job of coaching their sons’ little league team.  But as baseball season marches on, both men find they have much to learn about each other, about their sons, and ultimately, about themselves.  Dresser’s two characters, who at first appear to represent blatant stereotypes of blue-collar and white-collar small-town America, manage to reveal increasing complexity in the course of the two-hour production – or about the time it takes to play a quick game of baseball.

In the production at the Roy Arias theatre on 43^rd and 8^th, Chris Bucci is the energetic and traditional-minded Coach Don, who counts on his boys to win and his wife to concoct the best game-day snacks.  He finds his approach challenged, however, by Greg Hill’s Coach Mike, who seeks to teach the boys that the real fun lies in being a team and playing the game itself, regardless of victory or defeat.  As Coach Don unveils and further develops a hidden sensitivity to the kids’ emotional needs, Coach Mike learns the glory of victory on the field and in life.  Buccie stands out as the stronger of the two actors, more physically and vocally versatile; yet Hill relaxes into a few quite effective moments as the more reserved, but no less passionate, Coach Mike.  Both actors passionately engage with the piece, clearly committed with heart and soul. 

Rounding Third is also an effective script for a minimalist production such as this one, directed by none other than Chris Bucci, requiring little in the form of technical development.  During blackouts that extend only slightly too long, Bucci and Hill move tables, chairs, baseball equipment, and a piece of metal fence that effectively lends ambiance to the “baseball field” on stage.  Stage Manager Karen Sweeney’s lighting is basic and effective, despite occasional upstage lighting that focuses a bit far into the house and persisted in catching my attention from my seat in the fourth row. 

The play is strong and the production worth seeing.  There is something cozy about seeing a two-person show in a small venue with minimal tech and an unmanned concession table sporting a box of candy and a donation box that reads “tips for starving actors.”  May this type of theatre never die, but continue to exist and even thrive on the New York theatre scene.