The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Swing by Trey Ellis and Ricardo Khan and directed by Ricardo Khan. This freewheeling take on one of baseball's greatest personalities runs March 16-April 10 on the Browning Mainstage of the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts. Curtain times are Tuesdays at 7 pm; Wednesdays-Fridays at 8 pm; selected Wednesday matinees at 1:30 pm; Saturday matinees at 4 pm; selected Saturday nights at 8 pm; Sunday matinees at 2 pm; and selected Sunday evenings at 7 pm.
The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd - it's what every baseball player dreams of. In 1947, Jackie Robinson had broken baseball's color barrier, while Satchel Paige and his Negro League All-Stars were barnstorming against their white counterparts in the Majors. It was baseball by day and jazz by night as the impassioned and devoted players tried to find their place in a country on the verge of change.
The Rep's production of Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Swing is made possible by major sponsor Emerson, as well as a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Ellis and Khan are the writing duo behind the Tuskegee Airmen drama Fly, which appeared on The Rep Mainstage in 2013. Khan returns to direct, assisted by
John Ezell (scenic designer), Lauren T. Roark (costume designer), Victor En Yu Tan (lighting designer)
Tom Mardikes (sound designer) and Rocco Di Santi (projections designer).
Bobby Watson composed the show's original music.
Robert Karma Robinson leads the cast as Satchel Paige, reprising a role he performed in previous productions of Satchel Paige at
Crossroads Theatre Company and Martha's
Vineyard Playhouse. Eric Person contributes narration and saxophone accompaniment as Jazzman,
Michael Chenevert appears as Satchel's veteran teammate Buck O'Neil and
Vanessa A. Jones portrays Mrs. Hopkins, owner of the boarding house where much of the play takes place.
The cast is rounded out by
Peterson Townsend (as Art Young), Kohler McKenzie (Bob Feller),
Sam Wolf (Franky Palmieri) and Tsilala Brock (Moira Hopkins). All eight cast members are making their Rep debuts.
Tickets start at $17.50. To purchase, visit The Rep Box Office, located inside the Loretto-Hilton Center, charge by phone by calling
(314) 968-4925 or visit The Rep's Online Box Office at
http://www.repstl.org.
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