Review: LOMBARDI at The Premiere Playhouse

Lombardi, at The Premiere Playhouse in Sioux Falls is an artistic production about the life of famed coach Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers football team. The play covers one week in 1965 with the team preparing for a championship game. The vehicle for moving the story forward is the character of a reporter whose purpose is to write a story about his Look Magazine editor's good friend Vince Lombardi and his Packers team. The catalyst is a disastrous story recently published in Esquire Magazine about the coach and the team. It would seem that the coach has agreed to the story as a way to redeem and control the spin on some things that loose-lipped players have divulged to the Esquire journalist. The main cast is comprised of Vince, his wife Marie, the reporter and some players from the team.

The technical aspects of the show had some challenges in spaces that seemed too small for the amount of furniture and actors moving in limited space. I don't like worrying that an actor is going to misstep and fall off a platform. The stadium lights on the stage, used to take you to a place on Lambeau Field are a cool effect and give a nice feel to the set when used. There were other times that the actors could have done better in hitting the hot spots in the light design. If you can't feel the light, the audience can't see you; so... move into the light.

Joshua Allen as the reporter Michael McCormick provides some enthusiasm and vigor for his mission to discover the story of the Packers even though a considerable amount of control is being exerted by the character of coach Vince Lombardi, played by Chris Andrews. His attempts with discovery from the team members are thwarted by a paranoid coach and an obedient team. It's clear that the coach had the loyalty of his team and probably some fear of patriarchal retribution going for him.

I really enjoyed the cadence and tone of the Chris Andrews' pep talks as Vince Lombardi delivered front and center and directly to the audience. The iconic costume and dramatic lighting was interesting and I believed I was hearing the quintessential Vince Lombardi message in the way it was delivered in the 1960's.

Marie Lombardi, played by Nancy Tapken in this production, is somewhat one-dimensional in her approach to the character. We get it, Marie was a boozer. She had some snappy comebacks, but there was too much time taken in stage business waiting for her to finish a drink. If you are unfortunate enough to know the behavior of an alcoholic, you know they are not slamming down drink after drink after drink in short spans of time. The drink is like a part of their body, always in hand, always at the ready. It is more than a little condescending to make the character of Marie all about the booze. The lack of physical intimacy between the characters of Vince and Marie made it hard for me to believe that either of them would have tolerated all the quirks of their respective personalities for so many years.

A scene later in the play with players in a pool hall chatting with the reporter, relating to each other as men and teammates and divulging some of the dynamics of the Packers team had a really good vibe. I felt the camaraderie of the players in the performances of Clinton Store, Erin Edward Sharp, and Ezra Hunter. It was the testosterone festival I had expected of the show, and it did not disappoint.

This is the second play that I have reviewed at the Premiere Playhouse that the poor quality of body microphones used to amplify actors' voices made me angry as an audience member. Please invest in some reliable equipment that won't cut in and out constantly, or go "old school" and require the actors to project their voices to the audience.

If you're a Packers fan, you'll have opportunities to celebrate the glory of the teams' storied history. If you want to know more about what a giant Mr. Vince Lombardi was as a man, a coach, a leader and innovator, read the book, When Pride Still Mattered - A Life of Vince Lombardi, by David Maraniss.

Lombardi will play for two weekends at the Orpheum Theatre and tickets are available online at www.thepremiereplayhouse.com.

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