MID-LIFE CRISIS x 5: THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON

F. J. Hartland      

      A mid-life crisis is an ugly thing.  I know.  I’ve been there.  That awful period of life when you realize you haven’t become the person you dreamed you’d be back when you were still a teen-ager.

            The mid-life crisis hits particularly hard in Jason Miller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON.  A small-town basketball team won the state championship twenty years ago.  Now they gather at the home of their coach on the anniversary of what was probably the high point of all their lives…all except a mysterious player named Martin who has never attended any of the reunions.  But I don’t want to spoil the secret for any of you… 

                       The REP at the Pittsburgh Playhouse has assembled a stellar ensemble cast to play out this drama of broken dreams under the director of Ronald Allan-Lindbloom, Artistic Director.

                        Being a reunion, secrets are revealed, uneasy alliances are made and tensions soar.

                       Phil Winters plays the putz of a mayor who is up for reelection against a charismatic candidate.  He’s also married to the girl from high school voted Most-Likely-To-Conceive.  David Cabot plays the campaign manager, who is really a junior high school principal longing for glory of his own.  Daryll Heysham is the lusty rich businessman who is viewed as an open checkbook by everyone he knows.  Jarod DiGiorgi plays a hopeless alcoholic.  Rounding out the cast is Robert Haley as their Coach, who never stops spouting platitudes about hard work and success.

            Together these five men form a powerful cast who work together like a well-oiled machine.  The camaraderie (and the hatred lurking below the surface) is played brilliantly.

            While the entire cast is strong, it is the silent DiGiorgi who makes the strongest impression.  He observes the action through an alcoholic gaze.  When he does speak, he delivers his lines with a razor sharp edge that never fail to amuse the audience.

            Allan-Lindbloom keeps the pace of the three-act moving quickly.  Occasionally, however, there would be an awkward stage picture or two.  But even with two intermissions, THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON clocks in a little under two hours.

            The set by Michael Thomas Essad is spectacular.  No detail has been over-looked in filling the cavernous living room of the Coach’s house.  Even the details on the porch (which can only be seen through a window) are stunning.  Lloyd Sobel’s lighting is dark and shadowy—all in keeping with the leit motifs of the play.

            Written in the early 1970’s, THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON is peppered with all sorts of macho posturing, lock room banter and terms that are FAR from politically correct.  In fact, the prejudice runs very deep in these characters, so plan to grit your teeth now-and-then.

            The musical interludes between the scenes are perfect for the time period—but often seem too loud.

            While the whining of the characters does get repetitious at times, this cast is well-worth seeing!

            THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON continues through September 20 at the Pittsburgh Playhouse.