See this play before it’s gone . . .
Those lucky enough to attend opening night at Westfield Playhouse’s production of Going Going Gone were treated to a question and answer session with the Emmy-winning playwright, Ken Levine.
Westfield Playhouse Board President John Sampson told The Reporter the audience was superb and the first night was a great success. If you did not get to see the play on opening weekend, you have only two more weekends to enjoy the show.
According to Levine’s website, Going Going Gone is set in the press box of a major Los Angeles baseball stadium, a hilarious yet poignant comedy about four sports journalists whose lives are changed during the course of one game. The theme is our need to be remembered set in the world of baseball where the past is more cherished than the present.
Director Steven Marsh began his love of community theater in the Monticello Opera House in Florida in 2003. He said he’s acted on and off ever since then, and this is his first time directing.
“Going Going Gone is kind of a workplace comedy,” Marsh said. “I liken it a lot to Cheers in the sense that Cheers what not about bartending, but that was the setting for these characters to get to know each other.”
Marsh said he is a huge fan of the playwright.
“Ken Levine is primarily known as an Emmy-winning script writer for television sitcoms including M*A*S*H and Cheers,” Marsh said. “I love the idea of trying to bring that fast-paced funny atmosphere of my beloved sitcoms to the stage while still having something that still has a lot of heart and a great message.”
Marsh edited a digital magazine for 18 years and has seen first-hand the changing landscape between print and digital, which is a huge theme in this play.
“One of the characters works for a website and mock’s their counterparts who are still in traditional journalism,” Marsh told The Reporter. “The play is very current and spoke to me in that way as well. It is a fairly authentic look at the lives of sportscasters. There is a fair bit of language and some adult situations that folks should be aware of.”
While directing, Marsh gained a deeper appreciation for not only one of his favorite authors, but also for the depth and accuracy of the material itself.
“There are a bunch of baseball-related anecdotes that are related by the characters,” Marsh explained. “Everything in there in 100 percent true. You can Google them, and they are pretty absurd, but it is not exaggerated or made up for stage. That was a delight for me to learn.”
If you have not seen this play yet, you only have two more weeks to get to Westfield Playhouse, 1836 W. State Road 32. The play will stage Friday, Saturday and Sunday through April 28. Visit WestfieldPlayhouse.org or call (317) 402-3341 for tickets before it’s gone.
Photos provided