I have many friends of all ages with a diverse set of interests, from going to the Jersey shore to going around the world, from reading to music, from arts to exercise, from movies to sports. Lots of them enjoy many of these activities but I’ve rarely encountered a person who loves both theater and football. I happen to be one of those odd freaks and my friend Gary Papa, the sports anchor for ABC in Philadelphia before he passed away 16 years ago, was another. So, I was most curious to finally see the play, “Tommy and Me,” about a sportswriter who labored long and hard to get his Eagles hero, Tommy McDonald, into the football Hall of Fame. Would this make for good theater, I wondered. The answer is most definitely yes!
The playwright, Ray Didinger, has been a sportswriter and sports commentator for decades. Growing up in the Philadelphia area, he was an avid fan of the Philadelphia Eagles. He was more than that- he was a bit of a sports nerd who knew minute details about every aspect of the game. In “Tommy and Me,” we meet two Rays, the adult and the child, and they converse throughout the play as the boy serves as a sort of conscience, but also as the crazy fan that he was. And as we learn about the neglect of McDonald for Hall of Fame consideration, we are constantly amused by the Didinger duo.
Tommy McDonald was short and light of weight. He was laughed at and ignored in high school and college until he made the teams and set records. He did the same for the Eagles and was a star in the Eagles championship game against the Green Bay Packers in 1960. (When I watched the Eagles playoff game against the Packers this year, they had a short clip of McDonald making the game winning catch). That was the final year of the great Norm Van Brocklin at quarterback. The next year, Sonny Jurgensen took the reins and McDonald continued to shine until a new coach entered the picture, traded away McDonald, and the team fell apart.
He spent the next few years being traded to several teams before he retired. He was also a bit of a weird character. But he was always a kind person, as evidenced when we meet the young McDonald interacting with the young Didinger in Hershey, Pa., where the Eagles went to train and where the passionate Didinger family went to watch.
Didinger campaigned for McDonald’s entry into the Hall of Fame for decades. But my favorite moments (and there were many) came from watching Tom Teti portray the silly, funny, but real McDonald. I loved when the boy says to his grown self “sometimes I can’t believe I grew up and became you.” I loved learning so much about the man in so many entertaining stories.
And what a powerful cast it is! Teti, a veteran actor at People’s Light and all around the Philadelphia region, is outstanding in giving both the nuance and the humor. Matt Pfeiffer, who I know more as an area director, is perfect as the straight man. And Christian Giancaterino was marvelous as the young Tommy. He’s got a great future in theater!
Joe Canuso first produced and directed this play at Theatre Exile as he worked with Didinger almost ten years ago to put in on the stage. It has played in several theaters since, and it is a delight to see it on the People’s Light stage. After each show, Canuso, Didinger, and the cast come on stage to answer questions, another lovely highlight… And lest I forget, McDonald is in the football Hall of Fame, the smallest player. As for his acceptance speed, you gotta see it on the stage.
“Tommy and Me” by Ray Didinger at People’s Light, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, PA 19355, 610-644-3500, peopleslight.org Extended thru thru February 1, 2025
Philadelphia Theater Reviews by Frank Burd 