BlackBalled

I usually love historical dramas, and Blackballed is just what I wanted to see after learning about it at a Fringe Office Hours. Blackballed was the kind of slow burn that I love to watch on TV and stage. So much of theatre experiments with plot, costume, staging, etc., and sometimes all you need to tell a compelling story is the verisimillitude and dialogue that Blackballed delivered so well.... full review

A wonderful look at the rise and fall of the Negro Baseball League in America, Matthew Robinson does a great job of telling a story that I did not know well (but, now wish I did!).... full review

The story is a compelling one and one which I very much wanted to see played out on stage. I know it was a preview/opening, but the number of incredibly slow, and (several incorrect) tech cues, slowed the pace of the show to a degree that truly detracted from the experience. Actors were left onstage waiting for lights to come up several times. Also there was a photographer in the booth shooting the show whose camera chirped and clicked with every shot -- those sounds can be turned off. It was incredibly distracting.... full review

I walked in eager to know more about the history of black baseball, before my time, and walked out an hour later with my expectations thwarted! This well-crafted play, with three sharply-drawn characters, provided NO context and I left knowing no more about the subject overall than when I went in! Maybe the script would need to be twice as long, but I wanted to know WHO the three principal characters actually were and HOW they came to own baseball teams! (Also, it was never clear how "the one white guy" was related to them!) I can't fault the actors, who obviously knew their craft and their characters---but I didn't know who they were playing! Only in the last quarter-hour, when Jackie Robinson appears on the historic scene (and well-pla... full review

#SkipItLA Walking into this production I thought I knew about the Negro League. I took a course in college called American History Through Baseball (coolest class ever), so I figured I was good. Turns out, my knowledge was woefully inadequate. This show assumes a pre-knowledge of the inner workings of the management and owners of the Negro Leagues. The script jumps right into an office of two people. Later they revealed to be owners, talking about someone(s) - I think a player trade and a guy to possibly invest in the league - and the fast-paced dialogue continued from there. As much as I hate a bunch of exposition right up front, this play needed some exposition right up front. For the full review visit the See It or Skip Website. Lin... full review