Constable: 'Bleacher Bums' live on in updated version
In 1977, a bunch of young Chicago actors led by Joe Mantegna and Dennis Franz wrote and starred in a play about Cubs fans in Wrigley Field called “Bleacher Bums.” David Zak, an English and theater teacher then at Benet Academy in Lisle, thought it would be educational.
“I brought my acting kids down to see the show,” remembers Zak, who says his students enjoyed the field trip.
Having left teaching years ago for life in the theater, Zak, 61, now works as executive director of Pride Films and Plays and runs Chicago's Pride Arts Center, where “Bleacher Bums” has returned just in time for the Cubs' playoff run.
“I always think there's a close relationship between theater arts and sports,” says Zak, whose theater is just blocks from Wrigley Field. Growing up in Lisle, he'd come to Cubs games at Wrigley with his parents and three sisters.
“When I was a kid, they still had Ladies' Day,” says Zak, noting that meant he and his dad bought tickets and the female members of the family got in free.
A devout Catholic family, they abstained from meat on Fridays. “So we couldn't have hot dogs,” Zak recalls. “It was eating peanut butter sandwiches out of Mom's purse.”
That scene would be right at home in this updated version of “Bleacher Bums,” which focuses on the personalities of fans in the bleachers during a 1998 game between the Cubs and the rival St. Louis Cardinals.
“The play is as much about the human relationships as it is the game,” says Erik Burke, 23, who graduated from North Central College in Naperville and plays a key role in “Bleacher Bums” as the cheerleading fan who implores fellow fans to root for his Cubs and irritate the Cardinals.
“It's up to us,” Burke says, explaining how his character considers Cubs fans an essential ingredient for cooking up a victory. “It's a little more personal, like something you carry inside you. It's almost like they worship the Cubs. It's up to us.”
At auditions, Burke made an impression. “I took a Sharpie and drew the Cubs logo on my stomach,” he says.
The new show captures the excitement of the 1998 season when the Cubs' Sammy Sosa and the Cardinals' Mark McGwire were in a race to break the season record for home runs. But lesser players such as catcher Scott Servais and shortstop Jeff Blauser get their shoutouts from the fans, too.
Legendary “Bleacher Preacher” Jerry Pritikin, once hailed by Harry Caray as “the No. 1 Cubs fan,” helped with publicity decades ago for the original show and now serves as a consultant for the updated version. Directed by Nich Radcliffe, the cast features Stevenson High School graduate Brady Richter, Elk Grove Village native and Schaumburg resident Gina Phillips, Katherine Bellantone, Zach Finch, Max Downs, Colin Jones, Amy Sunshine and Israel Antonio, a vision-impaired actor who portrays a blind fan.
Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. with a show this Sunday at 7 p.m., and one at 3 p.m. on other Sundays at the Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway St., Chicago. Reserved seats are $30, or $20 for general admission, students and seniors. For tickets and more information, visit brownpapertickets.com or call (800) 838-3006.
The show runs through Nov. 6, ending days after what could be a successful Cubs run through the playoffs and World Series.
“There's this tradition of the Cubs losing. But it's so great because there's this hope and this feeling that this is the year,” says Burke, a Michigan native who was born a Detroit Tigers fan but says his favorite National League team is the Cubs. “And now, this is really the year. Wouldn't that be cool?”
Of course, as an actor, it's tough to make time to get to Wrigley Field.
“I'm a Cubs fan, but I've never been to a game,” Burke says.
We long-suffering Cubs fans know just how to respond to that — “Wait till next year.”
Bleacher Bums play runsthrough Cubs postseason
What: Updated version of Bleacher Bums play about life in Wrigley Field bleachers.
When: Thursdays through Sundays.
Where: Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway St., Chicago.
Cost: Tickets range from $20 to $30.
For information: Call (800) 838-3006 or visit brownpapertickets.com.