Johnny Baseball-Post from 2010 That I realized had never posted

This was not a show I saw in NYC, but at the American Repertory Theater in Boston. I had been in anticipation of this show for over a year(when the Boston Pops promoted it at their Red Sox Album concert in May of 2009!), so I was excited the show was finally open!

I was not disappointed!

Synopsis:
This is the story of a young ball player, Johnny O Brien, who is on the Red Sox in the early 1900's, and befriends Babe Ruth. Ruth takes him to a night club where he falls in love with the singer, Daisy Wyatt, who is African-American. Being that it is the 1900's, white and black marriage is not acceptable in any way, but Johnny is prepared to deal with that as he proposes to Daisy. Daisy however, doesn't accept due to a deal she was given to NOT accept, so his career wouldn't suffer and for compensation, hers could take off. She couldn't turn that down, so she left town to save his career and start hers. About 20 years later, baseball and the world is changing and black ball players are being allowed to try out for the professional teams. Two black ball players try out for the Sox, and it turns out that one is the son of Johnny and Daisy. Daisy had implored to Johnny to help her son achieve his dream, finally admitting that her son is actually his son. His son doesn't make the team, and he turns to God, and says "God curse the Boston Red Sox, and all the boys who dream." The Red Sox(as everyone knows) does not win another game. Flash forward to 2004, all the fans are in the stands at Fenway hoping and praying the Sox are going to win. Right now, the prognosis is not good. An elderly black gentleman has been telling the story of Johnny O Brien to this little boy the entire game. The little boy questions the motive of the black ball player by asking why he cursed the team for the future players and fans. Here you learn the black gentleman WAS that ball player, and he lifts the curse by saying, "God bless the Boston Red Sox and all the boys who dream." And then David Ortiz gets that homer, and wins the game and the rest is history! I like the fact that the story goes back and forth between the 1920's and 2004. The songs are excellent also! And the acting was excellent! I would definitely see another show here! I just wish they had a soundtrack out! ** I just would like to add that I still feel this was a top notch performance, and it SHOULD go to Broadway...hint hint producers out there...its an ORIGINAL MUSICAL(which we need MUCH MUCH MORE of, no more movies to musicals please!) It also covers a subject that is America's pasttime: baseball...and its an underdog story...plus the Sox have a lot of fans out there(this girl included!) Damn Yankees got their shot on the Great White Way, why not the Red Sox???