“An Upset,” a one-act play by David Auburn first seen in New York in 2008, is being revived around the city timed to the Open, including three shows at 99 Bowery beginning Sept. 12.
“It’s always hard to put a finger on why something is suddenly in the zeitgeist,” said Ruhl, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and a Tony Award nominee. “I don’t know why it is happening with tennis in theater right now. But for me, while researching the Bush dynasty, I realized tennis is such a big part of their lives and a wonderful metaphor for family competition and sibling rivalry.”
In “Scenes From Court Life,” Greg Keller plays George W. Bush as a more shrewd politician than his brother Jeb but an inferior tennis player.
“Athletes are almost another species to playwrights,” Keller said. “The writer’s world is so subjective, but for athletes there is always a winner and a loser.”
Tennis holds undeniable appeal for the theater. For starters, it can encompass widely different settings, including the Bush family compound, the public courts of the Lower East Side and Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Tennis, Keller said, is also “one-on-one, but you are not physically touching each other like in boxing.”
He added, “You are in your own little world.”
Bragen has written other works about tennis, including a monologue called “Game, Set, Match.” He said the sport offered intimacy and isolation — great fodder for writers.
“There’s a kind of dance that I feel as a player, but you are alone in your own head at the same time you are connected to other person,” Bragen said.
Ruhl said she liked the combat mixed with decorum, “the formality within the structure of competition.”
Ryan Sweeney, who played Division I tennis at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and is producing and starring in “An Upset,” said, “Tennis is a lonely sport, and Auburn’s script touches on the players’ vulnerabilities.”
6 comments
Join the conversationJaime - June 5, 2017
Catherine Zuber won both OCC and Drama Desk for her costumes for War Paint…does that still not put her high enough to be in the running for the Tony?
Oliver - June 6, 2017
This is a really good point and something I’ve been looking at already this morning, actually. I think I made a mistake leaving Zuber off of the list for costumes in this post – that is a really challenging category this year and will be among those I continue analyzing right up until the deadline.
Maddie - June 7, 2017
I think Best Actor would be better placed under face off, with a face off between Andy Karl and Ben Platt. Andy Karl has received 6 “best actor” nominations for his role as Phil Collins in Groundhog Day, 3 of which he has won (Drama Dresk, Outer Critics Circle, and Laurence Oliver). Ben Platt received no acting nominations for the DC production of Dear Evan Hansen. In 2016, Ben Platt won 2 nominations and one win for Best Actor. As of 2017, Ben Platt has won two best actor accolades for his work in DEH.
So far, Andy Karl and Ben Platt have only faced off once in the Drama League Awards, which Ben Platt won. However, it’s also worth noting that last year Lin Manuel Miranda won Drama League’s Distuingished Performance Award, for which Leslie Odom Jr. wasn’t even NOMINATED (despite being qualified), and yet it was during the 70th tony awards that Leslie Odom Jr. beat Lin.
Ben Platt has received a lot of praise for his role in Dear Evan Hansen, and there is a high possibility he will win. However, I wouldn’t say he’s so far ahead no one can catch up, when Andy Karl seems like a pretty worthy competitor.
As for different catergories, I very much believe that Danny Devito is going to win best featured actor in a play, but I am not super familiar with his competition.
Oliver - June 8, 2017
Maddie, this is great analysis, and a lot of the reason why some people do believe Karl has a shot at winning. I can tell you firmly that Platt is WELL in the lead in this one. This is a category I would bet a lot of money on. There just isn’t enough love for Groundhog Day in general, and Platt has been DOMINATING the conversation since Dear Evan Hansen opened.
For more of my analysis on why Platt is a sure thing, check out this post from last week: http://ohenryproductions.com/tony-awards-2017/good-can-anyone-catch-ben-platt/
Joe Hetterly - June 8, 2017
Hi, I discovered this blog this year and have loved reading each article. The insight, analysis, and format is enlightening and interesting. Thank you for these! When will you be posting your Tony predictions?
Oliver - June 8, 2017
Hi Joe!
Thank you for reading the blog. We will be posting our Tony Predictions some time after 5pm tomorrow – which is when voters’ ballots are due. Stay tuned!