I know practically nothing about football, and my knowledge surpasses my enthusiasm for the game. Nevertheless, I really wanted to like Lombardi. Finally, a show that husbands and boyfriends might actually want to see! I really like Dan Lauria, the journeyman actor who always brings a certain Everyman quality to his roles. And sports movies are so often thrilling; think Invictus, Remember The Titans, Rocky.
Unfortunately, too much of Lombardi is just tedious. Hey, I was there to learn, and I left the theater knowing no more about the man or the game than when I entered. I know the Green Bay Packers coach was one of the best, and that he led his team to victory. But how? All that’s on the stage is a guy who yells a lot. And while I’m pretty far from being a star athlete, that definitely wouldn’t inspire me. We’re told Lombardi loved his players, but never see any evidence of it. The man went to Mass every morning; OK, so show me a scene of him asking God for …what? To look less like Ernest Borgnine? To sound less like Regis Philbin on a verbal rampage?
The play is narrated by Michael McCormick, a young sports reporter on make. There’s a Jersey Boys quality to the telling of the tale, and Keith Nobbs does a fine job expressing the ambition and frustration of this young man striving for a story which will make his career. He reminds me of Taub from House, a short guy with a nice smile and lots of drive.
The famous athletes Paul Hornung (Bill Dawes), Dave Robinson (Robert Christopher Riley), and Jim Taylor (Chris Sullivan) are well represented here. I get the easy guy comradery, the jock humor; having only three guys represent the whole team works fine for me, but I do think the almost inaudible canned noise in the background of their scenes is more annoying than evocative.
The real light in this production is Judith Light. She plays Lombardi’s long suffering wife Marie with warmth and wit; chic in a black sheath and over sprayed Pat Nixon hair, she dazzles from her first moment on stage. We’re reminded that in these pre-enlightened Mad Men era times, a woman did stand by her man, even if it meant moving to the “frozen tundra,” an expression Vince Lombardi loathes. When McCormick considers calling his article “Shut up, Marie,” it points up how unpleasant it must be to have to stay in the home of such an ill-matched couple. No matter how you slice it, blustering is not affection. Light does manage to convey Marie’s love for her big lummox, though such devotion to a man who beat his son and verbally abuses his wife would lead anyone to drink. And drink she does.
I do appreciate the little 1965 period touches, the charm bracelet, turquoise lamp, cardigan sweater. And oh, the nostalgia of seeing that heavy black rotary phone again. Vince’s skinny tie and baggy pants are definitely in sync with the era, too.
My main problem with this play is not that I’m bored with many of the scenes up on the boards. It’s that I miss the ones that aren’t there. For me, there’s just not enough complexity in the title character to be able to figure out what actually made him great. And to borrow a phrase from another Broadway show about sports, “First ya gotta have heart.”
Lombardi, 95 minutes, no intermission.
Circle In The Square Theater, 1633 Broadway at 50th Street.
www.lombardibroadway.com
Photos by Joan Marcus
Michall Jeffers is an accomplished Cultural Journalist. She writes extensively, both in print and online. Her eponymous cable TV show is syndicated throughout the tri-state area, and features celebrity interviews, reviews, and commentary. She is a voting member of Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, American Theatre Critics Association, and International Association of Theatre Critics. michalljeffers@verizon.net. michalljeffers.com
