Beck Center for the Art’s ‘Under A Baseball Sky’ is a game winning home run

Photo credit Steve Wagner

Known as “America’s Pastime” baseball is actually far more popular worldwide than many people in the United States realize. In fact, professional teams can be found in 129 nations around the world. All told you can attend professional games in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania. This is not to mention the popular neighborhood leagues as well.

José Cruz GonzÃilez’s “Under A Baseball Sky” is a delightfully concise work that manages to dwell on much deeper subjects than the game itself. With stage time of around 90 minutes without an intermission the show focuses on the positive influence of baseball on generations of Mexican/American citizens. Set in San Diego’s Logan Heights (known to residents as Barrio Logan) the time stamp covers early 1900s history right up to present day.

Elí María O’Reilly (Mónica Torres) is returning to her home with the “personal effects” of her slain daughter Paloma O’Reilly (Tania Benites). Paloma was renowned around the counties as a tremendous softball pitcher who also worked tirelessly as a union organizer which many feel led to her murder. Eli blames herself for her daughter's death having removed the bullets from a gun that her son had loaned for protection. Eli also carries the grief over the death of her son, Santiago “Sandía” O’Reilly (Lionel Morales, Jr.) who was killed helping a friend broke down on the highway.

She is being driven by Salvador “Chava” Torres (Kenny Santiago Marrero) who is the grandson of her neighbor and best friend. Chava works with troubled youth helping to rehabilitate them to be functioning members of society. Chava recently gave up smoking and has developed a ritual with his container of nicotine pills, taking it out, shaking it and tapping it twice before returning it to his shirt pocket. Occasionally, he takes a pill or two. With the grid lock on the highway Chava is late meeting his newest charge forcing him to do his “pill” ritual over and over.

Teo Fernández is the target for Chava’s newest project. At school, Teo threatened another student who made crude remarks concerning a girl that Teo was sweet on. As a result, Teo has been sentenced by a judge to perform community work in order to expunge his record. That job is to clean up a vacant lot owned by Elí that had years ago been a neighborhood center for baseball. The field is littered with many years accumulation of trash, tires and various debris. Upset that Chava is hours late and realizing the effort needed to complete the task, Teo develops an attitude which Eli quickly adjusts by chasing him around with a broom.

Teo also has problems at home. His widowed mother has been jailed for driving without a license and a faulty taillight (that Teo was supposed to fix). Although she has legal immigrant status she stands to be deported under new laws. Teo takes out his frustration by hitting his hand with a spiked baseball shoe.

In spite of the injury, Teo returns to work at cleaning up the lot and repairing a dilapidated equipment shed that houses scores of early baseball memorabilia. While working, the spirit of Paloma appears to Teo wearing her old baseball uniform but not speaking.

Over time, Teo and Eli form a bond as Eli shares the early history of baseball with the young man as they work to rehab the field but all is not rosy as a foreclosure is threatened on the house and land. From time to time we are treated to flashbacks of happier times as Paloma and Sandia are shown growing up together with baseball as their bond.

This is a perfect example of how precise writing coupled with expert directing by Eric Schmiedl and excellent acting by an experienced cast can bring forth a thoughtful yet enjoyable evening of theater. Subjects such as workers rights, immigration laws, juvenile justice systems, prejudice in sports and the plight of Latinos living in America are all neatly dovetailed together.

Those who know Mónica Torres for her work with LatinUS will not recognize her in costume or by her body language. She does a superb job as Eli Maria O’Reilly, the “ageless” (at times giving her age at 50, 60, 70 etc.) feisty matron of the changing neighborhood on the cusp of gentrification. Kenny Santiago Marrero does a fine turn as Chava, the well meaning “quiet hero” of the neighborhood. Ricky Ortega does a very convincing job as Teo playing the troubled but eventually resurrected youth who ends up doing very well in the end. Tania Benites as the fiery (both on the field and off) crusader is perfect in her roll. The same is true as Lionel Morales, Jr. as Sandia who carries himself well throughout the show.

Precise writing coupled with superb directing packs this short show with a high degree of emotions and circumstances. Hugely entertaining with a large measure of moral lessons to think about after the bows. This show is well worth seeing.

The Beck Center for the Arts will be on stage in the Studio Theater located at 17801 Detroit Avenue, Lakewood, Ohio through May 4, 2025. for more information and to purchase tickets go to http://www.beckcenter.org or call (216) 521-2540.