In this Tony Award-winning Best Play, playwright Richard Greenberg celebrates the personal and professional intricacies of America's favorite pastime. When Darren Lemming (Jesse Williams), the star center fielder for the Empires, comes out of the closet, the reception off the field reveals a barrage of long-held unspoken prejudices. Facing some hostile teammates and fraught friendships, Darren is forced to contend with the challenges of being a gay person of color within the confines of a classic American institution. As the Empires struggle to rally toward a championship season, the players and their fans begin to question tradition, their loyalties, and the price of victory.
The emotional wallop packed by Take Me Out took me by surprise. The last time I engaged with a baseball-centric Broadway tale, watching the Damn Yankees film, I was left watching, well, baseball. But this convincingly-acted, blistering drama more than earns its championship title.
'Take Me Out' isn't a sports psychologist's essay though. It's a taut and exciting play - and much more propulsive than your average spring ball game - that thankfully doesn't concern itself with the endless sensitivities and triggers of 2022. Most of the scenes are set in the tense locker room and there is an authenticity to the players' angst and jibes that wouldn't exist if the script had been scrubbed clean by some modern non-profit's propaganda officer. The show's got belly laughs, and a lot of grit.
2002 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
2003 | Broadway |
Broadway Transfer Broadway |
2022 | Broadway |
Second Stage Broadway Revival Production Broadway |
2022 | Broadway |
Broadway Return Engagement Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2022 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Play | Jesse Tyler Ferguson |
2022 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Awards | Jesse Tyler Ferguson |
2022 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Awards | Jesse Williams |
2022 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Take Me Out |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Play | Patrick J. Adams |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Play | Scott Ellis |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Jesse Tyler Ferguson |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Michael Oberholtzer |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Take Me Out |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Jesse Tyler Ferguson |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Michael Oberholtzer |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Jesse Williams |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Take Me Out |
2021 | Theatre World Awards | Theatre World Awards | Patrick J Adams |
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