Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Bull Durham: The Musical steps up to the plate at Paper Mill Playhouse.
By Josh Hightower
Bull Durham: The Musical isn’t quite a home run.
That said, it is no blowout. What takes the stage at Paper Mill Playhouse is a scrappy, but likable show. In baseball terms, it is more of a walk-functional, if not a little disappointing. Based on the 1988 Ron Shelton film, the musical’s book is penned by Shelton himself, with singer-songwriter Susan Werner composing the music and lyrics.
The story follows minor league baseball’s Durham Bulls navigating the season, and one longtime fan, Annie Savoy (Carmen Cusack), navigating the locker room. Annie and veteran catcher Crash Davis (Nik Walker) find themselves working against each other to influence rookie starlet Nuke LaLoosh (Will Savarese).
Annie beds Nuke, teaching him to play ball through their relationship, while Crash mentors him on the field. Eventually, the two realize their goals are not so contrasting. By Act II, Annie breaks her cycle of taking on rookie projects, falling for Crash, who breaks his own cycle of moving from team to team. Ultimately, Nuke makes it to “the show,” Annie and Crash settle down together, and that is our ball game, folks; apart from a paper-thin b-plot: a wedding between two supporting characters, about as relevant to the plot as this sentence is to the review.
Baseball takes a backseat to the show’s relationships, a shame as Director Marc Bruni and Choreographer Joshua Bergasse bring the games to life. In big numbers like “Winning,” the creative elements synergize, creating a flashy and oddly nostalgic spectacle that evokes America’s pastime. The performances are strong, with Cusack fully embracing the sensual swoon of Savoy, and Savarese giving a believable, immature star-boy. Walker shines in numbers such as “I Believe,” in which he embodies a refined masculinity, like Savoy’s wildest fantasy man.
However, in just 2 hours and 15 minutes, it feels like there is room for more dialogue. Big emotional numbers feel unearned and improperly supported with janky transitions in and out of song. Werner and Shelton’s collaboration mirrors Annie and Crash’s dynamic; their text and songs struggle to support each other at first. They never manage to knock it out of the park, but their show strengthens over time. Imperfect but lovable, Bull Durham: The Musical very much feels like a minor league team trying to punch above its weight. It’s a respectable game, and one worth the price of admission, even if it’s not quite ready for “the show.”
