Maplewood’s venerable community theater group The Strollers is coming out of the dugout with its latest production, The Sweetest Swing in Baseball. Written by Rebecca Gilman (who is perhaps best known for her race-tinged play from 2000, Spinning Into Butter), this comedy-laced drama is the story of Dana, an artist who lands in a psychiatric hospital and finds herself taking on the persona of none other than the man with the titular sweetest swing: Darryl Strawberry.
The company has been around since 1932, and many members of the current troupe are long-time Strollers: Dana is played by Strollers regular Dena Daniel, a Maplewood resident who by day edits ESL books, and Norman Metz, the director of The Sweetest Swing, who has a dental practice in Millburn and has worked with the group for nearly a decade. According to Maplewoodian Carol Cornicelli, who handles publicity for the company, “The production staff have all been members of the Strollers for 10 years and longer [and] the cast is a mix of veteran Strollers and new members.”
The Sweetest Swing in Baseball is at Maplewood’s Burgdorff Center for the Arts, 10 Durland Road, on January 28 & 29 at 8pm, January 30 at 2pm, and February 4 & 5 at 8pm. Tickets are $16 ($13 for seniors and students) and are available here.
Robbie Cano
I thought it was going to be an article on Ted Williams.