There Are Two Men Out... Who and What
THERE SHOULD BE MORE THEATRE ABOUT SPORTS
I hear so many of my Theatre friends saying they don't like sports, and yet turning around in that same conversation insisting that "there's a kind of theatre for everyone, you just have to look for it". I would offer and argue that the same is true for sports! If you don't like mainstream sports (Broadway), who knows! maybe you're an equestrian person, a fan of rowing, or maybe you've only seen men's sports and would enjoy some incredible WNBA. The sports world is your oyster!
Sometimes it's intimidating to learn about something new, especially with Sports die-hards who know the Rules and Regulations more confidently than their friends' birthdays most likely. But it's fun! You get invested, you learn more, you have a vested interest in the latest breaking news, and grow connected with your teams and its fans... it's a community of common interest, and that common interest is something intense, but at the end of the day, not life or death (unless you're a Pats fan. Or possibly a Yankees fan. Right now an Astros fan. But I digress.). You share in common defeat, and feel pride in common victory! What a beautiful thing!
Don't know where to start in understanding people's feelings on current sports events? Enter this thread!
This is specifically for Theatre people, using terminology to associate the two worlds and try to explain general feelings in the sports community towards recent breaking news. Think of it as your personalized Decoder Ring. It won't be exact parallels.... but hopefully, you'll get the gist.
What does that mean?
Example:
Tom Brady signs with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers/
Broadway Diva Tom Brady leaves Wicked to Pursue Passion Project
Tom Brady, the ex walk-on Understudy turned 6-time Tony Award winner has decided to leave his long-running, highly successful production of Wicked at the New England Broadway Theatre (leaving behind his partner in crime and famed director, Hal "Belichick" Prince to gamble on an ex-Diva plagued with injuries: Cam Newton), to pursue a passion project of his 'The Scarlet Pimpernel' down at the Tampa Bay Broadway Theatre. Many are confused by the move, as the Tampa Bay Broadway Theatre nor the show have produced anything of note in over a decade. He did drag his old and former cast-mate Tight End Rob Gronkowski, one of Broadway's greatest Straight Men ever to grace the stage, out of retirement for this! That in addition to a stellar defensive ensemble, a song-and-dance Wide Receiver duo for the ages (Evans the grounded rock and Godwin the fast hoofer), and an under-appreciated director in Bruce Arians, this could just prove the genius and stardom of Tom Brady (or prove that it was all Hal "Belichick" Prince's direction all along that made him great!).
One should be skeptical though, as who can forget last season's "Great-On-Paper" dumpster fire that was Cleveland Broadway Theatre's star-studded cast of "Be More Chill" that had its cult following, but ultimately disappointed in producing as high of caliber product and profits as initial reports might have led us to believe. Proving the Curse of the Cleveland Theatre is still alive and well, and that they should have really picked a show to feature their all-star, best on Broadway Tapper Odell Beckham Jr. Alas, a rant for a different time, but coming around to the point: So much potential rests on Tom's shoulders, time will tell if the show was the right move, and who knows! It could deliver a Tony nom... harder more a win.
Stay Tuned....
This is generally how it will go. I will try to draw parallels, make it whimsical, and hopefully lead you to understand a Sportsball conversation to wow your friends with a relevant and opinionated chime in! Woot! Sports!