Red Sox Nation
By Richard Dresse, Robert Reale, and Willie Reale
Directed by Diane Paulus
Originally produced at American Repertory Theater, Cambridge, MA.
May 8,2010 through June 20, 2010
About the Premiere Production: After the Red Sox’s stunning collapse in the 2003 playoffs, a baseball-obsessed team of musical theater writers (one long-suffering Sox fan and two smug yet oddly sympathetic Yankees fans) began searching for the source of Red Sox’s infamous Curse. In Red Sox Nation, writer Richard Dresser, composer Robert Reale, and lyricist Willie Reale have embarked on a journey that is already yielding surprising conclusions and a clever new musical -- an exhilarating blend of fact and fiction that traces the Curse to some unlikely sources.
Red Sox Nation dramatizes the collision of three orphaned souls: Johnny O’Brien, a hard luck right hander on the 1919 Sox team; the indomitable Babe Ruth; and Daisy Wyatt, a dazzling African-American blues singer and the love of Johnny’s life. The entanglements of love, friendship, and betrayal in these lives contain both the reason for the Curse and the secret to its end of the bat of Big Papi in 2004. Red Sox Nation packs a thoughtful commentary on American social history into a fun and spirited musical that will bring cheers and tears to baseball fans everywhere.
Artistic Statement: Red Sox Nation is not just about the “Curse of the Bambino.” The musical is a thoughtful investigation of the prejudices that plagued major league baseball in the twentieth century, and an exploration of the role the game has played in American social history. At the heart of the musical is a touching love story between a white baseball player and an African American jazz singer, whose interracial son is rejected from the major leagues because of the color of his skin. As the story of this American family unfolds over the course of the twentieth century, the music shifts to reflect the sound and style of each decade.
Red Sox Nation is already generating enthusiasm in the Boston area. Last month, the Boston Pops included two songs from Red Sox Nation in their “Baseball Night” concert at Symphony Hall in May, 2009. But this entertaining and moving musical has been written and composed to appeal to baseball fans everywhere. All of the collaborators on this project are focused on Red Sox Nation as an exploration of American social history. Its central love story, it’s cultural commentary, and its focus on the great American pastime are certain to give the project a broad appeal. - From Artistic Director Diane Paulus
Director: Diane Paulus
Book: Richard Dresser
Music: Robert Reale
Lyrics: Willie Reale