BWW Reviews: COBB Brought to Vibrant Life at Group Rep

Cobb
by Lee Blessing
directed by Gregg T. Daniel
@Group rep
in repertory with If We Are Women
through April 1

Lee Blessing gives us a three-dimensional look at baseball legend Ty Cobb in his fiercely honest one-act Cobb now onstage at Group rep in NoHo. Superbly staged by Gregg T. Daniel and gloriously acted by an ensemble of four, Cobb is represented at the beginning, middle and end of his life by three actors who play simultaneously around and against each other, as the man, like all men, attempts to sum up his life and make sense of his accomplishments.

The play takes place between 1886-1961, pulling in most of the important details of Cobb's career. Kent Butler is the older Cobb, Bert Emmett the middle aged Cobb and Daniel Sykes the young Georgia Peach. Oscar Charleston played by Jason DeLane comes in and out of the action throughout and describes himself as the Black Cobb, infusing the legend with impatience and anger, as Cobb was known not only as a fighter but also as a racist, a fact he denies. Cobb is not painted as a nice guy; he was violent, carried a gun around at all times, and sadly enjoyed very little of life apart from the sport and his investments. One thing for sure, he ate, drank and breathed the game. Even in the husband and father department, he considered himself a failure. "My wedding night was nothing like stealing home". When Cobb invested in General Motors, Lee Blessing refers to it as a marriage, "Like a wife, I made it mine." There are humorous reflections, like, for example, one of the sons of the macho athlete became of all things a gynecologist, and then very serious ones, like Cobb's last days suffering from prostate cancer and his loneliness, described as "life's main road".

There's never a dull moment as Daniel's direction keeps the actors in constant movement about the stage, and even when they are not practicing or playing ball, there are multiple exits and entrances that keep the scenes interesting to watch with sometimes one, two, three or all four actors together, and with the action flowing along smoothly throughout.

The cast is just terrific. Sykes, Emmett and Butler are equally strong, matching each other perfectly in style, attitude and demeanor. Sykes seems to have the most physical moves, and those he executes with the utmost skill. DeLane makes the other player a curiosity, an intriguing fellow that Cobb does not really want to meet, perhaps because if he had actually played against this man, he would have seen just how fierce his competition actually was. No great but disillusioned player wants to think coulda, shoulda, woulda. Even if you are not a baseball fanatic, you will enjoy Cobb. It's 90 minutes of sheer entertainment, very well staged and acted, one of Group rep's best.

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