Interview: Ryan Noggle & Neil Berg of CHARLIE HU$TLE at The Smith Theatre At Oakland Community College

I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Ryan Noggle, the creator and writer for the new musical sensation Charlie Hu$tle. Ryan is a longtime writer and baseball fan. I also spoke with fellow writer and composer Neil Berg. We dove into the heart of the show and dug into Pete Rose's complexity and controversy throughout his career.

What inspired you to write this show? 

Ryan Noggle: "I've always wanted to write a musical, and this is my first musical. About 11 years ago, I began the research for Charlie Hustle," A deep love of baseball, not just baseball, but Cincinnati Red's baseball fan, where Pete Rose played. He was the most famous baseball player when I was seven years old. I wanted to play like Pete. It's a story I felt deserved a stage that had never been on stage before. It's one of the most intricate, complex, debated, exciting stories in sports. People are very opinionated about Pete in one way or another; they love or hate him. But he is anything but boring. Even baseball fans don't know this story. They think they know this story, but they don't."

Neil Berg said, "Ryan is a well-respected writer in other mediums as well." 

RN- "I am a TV writer first and foremost, and I write television sitcoms, writing for Jimmy Fallon and other late-night shows as well as SNL."

What brought the two of you together? Did you explore the idea of this story as a pair, or did one of you ignite the concept, and the other attach the project later?

NB: "Susan German (Neil's agent) introduced them in about 2016. Their shared love of musicals and baseball made them the perfect match to bring this story to life."

What about this story excited you about turning Pete's story into a musical rather than just a straight play?

NB: "The first question I always ask myself is, does this story sing? There is so much going on: ebbs and flows, ups and downs, powerful emotions, and highs and lows sang very quickly. I was able to write this very quickly. The story sang because all those heightened emotions are evident throughout this piece. For me, this led to what type of music we started with a contemporary base, and for me, living in the 80s, I knew that music was like the back of my hand. I took each year that the story is set in the 80s and gave it a template. That, coupled with my sensibility and Ryan's sensibility, makes it contemporary and sets it in the 80s."

After the OCC performance, are any other scheduled performances planned for Charlie Hustle?

RN: "Not currently, but we will have news soon."

Pete Rose is a complex protagonist. How does the show navigate his story, and what do we learn about his life throughout the show?

RN: "At Pete's core, Pete is a little boy who wants to make his father proud. He wants to have his father's acceptance, love, and pride. The show casts a little boy in flashbacks with his father playing catch in the backyard. That mentality never leaves Pete, his motivating factor throughout the show. Don't ever lose, don't lose on the baseball field, but also don't lose in life. Don't give in, don't admit fault, and fight fight fight till the very end because that's what Harry Rose(Pete's dad) would do. He was the  ultimate competitor, yet he was banned from baseball."

NB: "You'll learn what made Pete Rose tick. We're not glorifying anything, and whether or not they are sympathetic to that or not is up to the audience to decide. Our job as storytellers is to lay it out there and let the audience decide."

RN: "I loved the idea that what made Pete great was the same thing that made him crumble. Which was the desire never to give up and fight to the end." It was his greatest asset and his biggest flaw."

Pete Rose is still alive today. Does he know this show is being written about his life story? If so, are all the facts in the show based on actual events, or has it been dramatized for the stage?

RN: "He knows, and I have met him twice. He is not with the team you have When Ryan met with Pete Rose, he said, "I have one note for you. My story has a lot of bad stuff, and you must include it all."

RN: "It is all based on actual events, but certain liberties were taken to adapt to the stage, but nothing changes the facts or bends the story."

Edit: this article was transcibed before the death of Pete Rose on 09.30.24

What would you say is the central theme of this show?

Jenn Little (Director): "We have been exploring the idea of themes. The idea of how we judge people and the concept of hubris and hubris brings a downfall. It's more about persistence, blinders, and your need to understand how the world works."

If you had to compare the feel of this show to another musical or play with the same sort of prose, what show would you compare it to?

NB: "Contemporary comparisons, Dear Evan Hansen or Hamilton. If you love classic storytelling. It's a linear story told in a traditional musical theatre with a contemporary fabric. Classics such as Rodgers and Hammerstein and South Pacific are in musical theatre, in a sense classic musical or contemporary."

RN: "I would also add Jersey Boys as a comparison. This story is a period piece about people you think you know, like Frankie Valle, but you realize there's a darkness to it; murder and a mafia are happening below the surface. Jersey Boys, you think you know."

JL: "I would tell most people this story is not about baseball. This is about a man on top of the world, and suddenly, everyone turns on him. I think more of Gypsy. Where the mom in Gypsy is so frustrating and fascinating, and you love to hate her, but you do love her while also hating her. I think Pete Rose is very similar to her."

Are there any trigger warnings for this show? Such as domestic abuse, alcoholism, strobing lights, etc.

JL: "Gambling addiction, profanity, Adult content suggested ages 16 and over, steroid use on stage, drug use, infidelity, backlighting."

Why did you pick OCC to portray this show?

NB: "I know Jenn and how passionate and detail-oriented she is. I know that what she says she can do, she will deliver. We knew we were in great hands."

RN: "Jenn came on board because of Neil. Jenn's Notes on the show were genuine and smart and helped us with some improvements to the story. We knew right away we were in great hands." 

There will be an opening night dessert meet and greet will be held on November 14th at 7:30pm.

Neil and Ryan will then conduct a Q&A after the show, during which the audience can ask the creators questions.

Purchase tickets to the show Here. Performances will be held on November 14th, 15th, 21st, and 22nd at 7:30pm at The Smith Theatre on Oakland Comunity College's Farmington Hills Campus at 27055 Orchard Lake Road Farmington Hills, Mi 48334.

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