As the name suggests, the play is about the New York Yankees. In fact, as you walk into the theatre, the first thing you notice is a replica of that famous Yankee Stadium façade. The play is also performed in the round, creating a stadium-like atmosphere that only enhances the experience. They also have Michael Kay give the "no photos, no recording" announcement and it ends the only way it could...with Frank Sinatra serenading everyone with "New York, New York." Basically, it has everything you'd expect.
The central character is really the only person it could be. Yogi Berra. Yogi's not just one of most beloved Yankees of all time, he's someone who takes great pride in those pinstripes and what they represent. But more importantly, Yogi Berra bridges the generations. That's why he's the only Yankee who would've worked. With another player from another era, the story would've seemed forced. With Yogi Berra, though, the idea of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in the same room as Reggie Jackson and Derek Jeter is made much more believable.
The story begins at a very tumultuous time in Yankees history. 1977. It's the day after the famous fight between Reggie Jackson and Billy Martin in the Fenway Park dugout and Yogi calls the two of them, along with Thurman Munson, to his hotel room for a meeting that he hopes will help mend fences. I'm not going to give away any major plot points here, but the meeting (which takes up most of the first act) doesn't end well. Berra then returns home to talk about it with his wife and has a vision of Babe Ruth. End Act I.
Act II begins with a great 45-minute scene where Yogi and his wife have dinner with perhaps the five greatest Yankees legends there ever were: Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle and Jeter. Elston Howard is also there, and his presence is the most significant. The legends put the Martin-Jackson feud in perspective. The Yankees are bigger than any one individual player, but players want to be Yankees because they want to be legends and win championships. Like each of the immortals at that dinner. They're all bigger than the game. But, more significantly, they're all Yankees.
That's never more evident than at the end, when Berra and Jeter are together in the Yankees clubhouse before the final game at the Old Stadium. Then all the legends return to bring the mystique and aura across the street. Cue Sinatra.
Emmy winner Peter Scolari is superb as Berra, and the portrayals of Jackson by Francois Battiste and Mantle by Bill Dawes are so realistic it's scary. And the play is incredibly well-written by Eric Simonson, who also wrote both "Lombardi" and "Magic/Bird." There are light-hearted parts and some touching moments, as well as a unique blend of generations (and some perspective that brings about greater understanding) during the dinner party scene. And don't worry, there are plenty of Yogi-isms, too.
If you think you have to be a Yankees fan to enjoy "Bronx Bombers," you're wrong. There are certainly some inside jokes and references that only Yankees fans will understand, but that's not a reason to stay away. Neither is being a Red Sox or Mets or any other team's fan. Baseball fans will appreciate "Bronx Bombers." Because as much as the play is about the Yankees, it's about Major League Baseball.
All of the TV commercials urging people to buy tickets are promoting "Bronx Bombers" as "a night you'll never forget." That's a bold statement. It's also right.
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