Following the team owners' struggles to bring their underfunded league to prominence despite the odds; “BlackBalled” is an intimate look at the rise and fall of Negro League Baseball. The integration of baseball brought the promise of diversity, unity and a progression of society during a time when Jim Crow was still being practiced. However this advancement in the world of sports came with a heavy price. Based on the remarkable true story: owners Effa Manley, Cumberland Posey and Gus Greenlee take center stage in this often overlooked moment in history.
BlackBalled
Reviews
Matthew Robinson's script is thick, but his actors tackle it beautifully, giving us a taste of segregated American baseball before everything changed. Recommended
The actors' performances in this are outstanding! Not being a baseball aficionada, I couldn't begin to follow the barrage of stats of the Wiki-entry-like script, but the solid direction and nuanced subtext work of Asia Pitts and the rest of the cast filled me in on the emotional information I needed.
Luckily the actors in this production were good. Asia Lynn Pitts, as Effa Manley, brought a spunk and much needed energy to her character that was a breath of fresh air. She was also able to hang on to her East Coast accent flawlessly. Robby Devillez, as John Fletcher, brought an urgency and excitement to his part that was a nice change of pace. There are moments in this play that work, but as a whole the script approaches the topic from an awkward angle and tries to take on too much for an hour long play.
An important and engrossing story featuring a solid cast. It delves into the personalities and agendas of the business people and players in the African-American baseball teams of the early 20th century. The cast, particularly the lead actress, were very good and kept you involved in the characters that the story was really about even when the more business-heavy details kicked in. My nitpicks were that it could probably be tightened up a bit as there were some pretty big chunks of exposition, and I'm also not sure if we needed quite as much time spent with the sportswriter character.
A piece of history I didn't know anything about before. Thank you for enlightening us in an entertaining way & making me feel like I was in that time period. Great acting & great storytelling!
What I liked The relationships between the various heads of the league evolved naturally from distrust, dislike, and competition to one of grudging respect. What I didn't like If the show were to be expanded, I would add some focus on the perspective of the players. What it must have been like to be playing to crowds of 100,000 people, and their feelings about the game itself. We do get to meet Jackie Robinson as a character, but he, of course is a force of nature unto himself. My overall impression The play does a great job illuminating the meteoric rise and fall of the negro baseball league from the perspective of the business men and women who made it happen.
Matthew Robinson's script is thick, but his actors tackle it beautifully, giving us a taste of segregated American baseball before everything changed. Recommended
Luckily the actors in this production were good. Asia Lynn Pitts, as Effa Manley, brought a spunk and much needed energy to her character that was a breath of fresh air. She was also able to hang on to her East Coast accent flawlessly. Robby Devillez, as John Fletcher, brought an urgency and excitement to his part that was a nice change of pace. There are moments in this play that work, but as a whole the script approaches the topic from an awkward angle and tries to take on too much for an hour long play.
The actors' performances in this are outstanding! Not being a baseball aficionada, I couldn't begin to follow the barrage of stats of the Wiki-entry-like script, but the solid direction and nuanced subtext work of Asia Pitts and the rest of the cast filled me in on the emotional information I needed.
An important and engrossing story featuring a solid cast. It delves into the personalities and agendas of the business people and players in the African-American baseball teams of the early 20th century. The cast, particularly the lead actress, were very good and kept you involved in the characters that the story was really about even when the more business-heavy details kicked in. My nitpicks were that it could probably be tightened up a bit as there were some pretty big chunks of exposition, and I'm also not sure if we needed quite as much time spent with the sportswriter character.
A piece of history I didn't know anything about before. Thank you for enlightening us in an entertaining way & making me feel like I was in that time period. Great acting & great storytelling!
What I liked The relationships between the various heads of the league evolved naturally from distrust, dislike, and competition to one of grudging respect. What I didn't like If the show were to be expanded, I would add some focus on the perspective of the players. What it must have been like to be playing to crowds of 100,000 people, and their feelings about the game itself. We do get to meet Jackie Robinson as a character, but he, of course is a force of nature unto himself. My overall impression The play does a great job illuminating the meteoric rise and fall of the negro baseball league from the perspective of the business men and women who made it happen.