The Sweetest Swing in Baseball
Catch Masterpiece Season’s latest play in Latimer-Shaeffer Theatre
By Jill Yaworski and  Jacqueline Quattrocchi, a&e editor and contributing writer
Posted on October 5, 2006

The title makes it seem like it was written only for ESPN enthusiasts, but “The Sweetest Swing in Baseball” won’t be mentioned on “SportsCenter” anytime soon. Rebecca Gilman’s play slid into Latimer-Shaeffer Theatre Tuesday night as part of the Masterpiece Season.

Directed by Professor Tom Arthur, the cast includes seniors Megan Tusing, Brandon Ferraro, Lauren Kidd, Selcuk Koruturk and junior Lauren Meyer. Tusing plays Dana Fielding, a New York artist who finds herself in a psychiatric ward for attempted suicide after her latest exhibition bombs and her boyfriend breaks her heart. While in the ward, she finds comfort and safety from the outside world in newfound friends, but her insurance will only pay for 10 days of treatment. In order to prolong her stay, Fielding claims the identity of Darryl Strawberry, the former New York Mets baseball star, and is amusingly diagnosed with multiple personality disorder.

Each cast member faces the challenge of playing two characters throughout the play. According to Ferraro, though, this isn’t much of a problem. He said the actors are able to use both characters to play off of each other.

“The characters each person plays are opposites of each other,” said Ferraro. “They complement one another.”

Arthur, a professor in JMU’s theatre department, ends his 34-year run at the university by directing “The Sweetest Swing in Baseball.” But according to the cast, Arthur was not concerned with it being his last show.

Ferraro, who has worked with Arthur in acting classes before, said acting under him was just like taking an extra class.

“For [Arthur], it was just another show,” said Ferraro. 

Assistant Director senior Kevin Hasser said “The Sweetest Swing in Baseball” was a new kind of project for the theatre department. The theatre department worked closely with the art department during the production. The set even included an art gallery containing JMU students’ work. “It was a great opportunity to cross the gap between the two departments,” said Hasser. “The final result is something to be proud of.”

Although the plot deals with the serious issue of depression, Gilman’s playwright is full of puns and humor.

“I enjoyed it,” said Steven Taft, a professor of theater at the University of Northern Iowa. Taft was visiting JMU with his son, and attended the performance on opening night.  “It’s real episodic and [Gilman] has an intelligent, witty way of writing, which I find really insightful,”

The play can be seen through Saturday, Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $6 with a JAC Card or $8 general admission.