More Theater Monday - The Perfect Game

We were given complimentary tickets to The Perfect Game for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: The Perfect Game

Where: Theater Row - Theater Four

             410 W. 42nd St.

             New York, NY

Who: Ages 13 and Up

When: Through January 27, 2024

The Perfect Game is the story of James Naismith's invention of the sport of basketball. The show is split between two timelines. It partially takes place in the past when Naismith created the game, and partially takes place in the present when a modern basketball team is getting ready to take on their crosstown rivals in the championship game.  A time-traveling Naismith bridges the two times lines. 

The part of the show that takes place in the past is much more interesting.  It is fascinating to learn how and why Naismith came up with the idea for the game and how it developed. The modern part of the show is not as interesting. The two teams are so unimportant that they are not even given names they are just called something like the Hometown Team and the Crosstown Rivals. If the playwright didn't even care enough about them to give them actual names, then why should the audience care about them?

There are too many different things crammed into the other part of the show. There is a storyline involving a former basketball coach trying to get over the traumatic incident that caused her to give up her coaching post. Inexplicably, she actually calls herself ex-coach, Nancy, and even more inexplicably she apparently went from coaching basketball to coaching cheerleading. There is a trio of overzealous cheerleaders who would fit in perfectly with the Plastics from Mean Girls or the Heathers from the musical of the same name. There is also a possible case of sexual harassment which doesn't really seem to be sexual harassment at all but the cheerleaders sing an accusatory song about it anyway. The song seems particularly out of place in a musical that is being billed as family-friendly, and it is the reason we only recommend the show for ages 13 and up. 

There are some really nice musical moments in the show. The cast's voices combine gorgeously during a couple of lovely harmonic cappella sequences. There is also an appealing moment when Naismith and his wife sing different love songs at the same time but their voices combine beautifully. The two are nicely played by Anthony Sagaria and Elena Ricardo, and the pair have good chemistry. 

The choreography seems for the most part extremely exuberant and over the top. The basketball sequences, however, are nicely choreographed. They are interesting and it is easy to tell what is going on even though most of the time they don't actually use a real basketball. 

All in all, the show is a mixed bag. With the split timeline, there is just too much going on and not all of it is equally as interesting. It would be better if the show focused only on one timeline or the other preferably the part of the show that revolves around Naismith and his invention of the game.

And that's our view. Tune in tomorrow for Tips for Tuesday.

Photo credits:

All The Perfect Game production photos by Maria Baranova-Suzuki

Images used in this post have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms and are used by permission. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, please contact us here, and we will look into the matter.