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If it is summer in Seattle it means it is Intiman's Summer Theater Festival time. The Festival brings new life for the Legacy of Intiman Playhouse. A little Intiman is better than no Intiman at all.
This is the 4th year of the festival and each year they stage a new production that has NW Roots. Two years ago was Stu for Silverton (the realife story of the transgender Mayor of a small Oregon Town) and Three years ago with Dan Savage's controversial play, "Miracle!".
This year the play to see is John Baxter is a Switch-Hitter by Ana Brown and Andrew Russell, and it focuses on the biggest scandal to ever Hit Gay Softball. Back in 2008, Seattle hosted the NAGAAA World series about playing for Gay team means you have to be Gay, if any teammate is Bi, you must declare who they are to the organization. In this actual case 5 players were called in questions and had to determine what their label was. Ultimately, three players were deemed at least "not gay enough," to play.
According to the NY Times, According to court records, one player declined to say whether he was gay or straight but acknowledged being married to a woman. Another answered yes to both gay and heterosexual definitions. A third asked if bisexual was acceptable and was told, "This is the Gay World Series, not the Bisexual World Series." The Players ended up suing in 2011, according to the Huffington Post.
The Play was inspired but not biographical, John Baxter (The Dreamy, Riley Shanahan) is a former pro working as a bank teller with a beautiful fiancée, Rose (Jasime Jean Sim) and his recruited by Tim (Reginald Andre Jackson, last seen as MLK in On the Mountaintop) to play with the San Francisco Gay softball team at the world series in Seattle with all expenses paid by the sponsors. Fellow Teen mate, Alex (Moises Castro) recruits wellness nut, Carl (The Brooding, Michael Place).
The Seattle team is headed by Old Guard, Franklin (Our Fave, Charles Leggett) and getting to hand over the team to New Guard, Lyle (The Passionate, Adam Standley) and they want to win one last time for Franklin. Other Team members include: Richie (The always Hilarious, Brace Evans) and Sam (the awesome, Tyler Trerise, most recently spotted in the Flick).
All goes as expected as Seattle and San Francisco face off as Lyle is a little suspicious of John Baxter and does some research and discovers he is ex-pro. If that is true, then Baxter must be straight! Lyle and Franklin file a complaint with NAGAAA Commissioner, Neil (played with ease by Chris Ensweiler) who goes from being charming to an arrogant ass within minutes. Both John and Carl are forced to declare there sexuality like they are being interrogated for government secrets. John and Carl are BOTH Straight and are disquieted. When Rose confronts John about his sexuality, John isn't sure.
One of the best transformations is of Bret (Bradford Farwell) who is Lyle's bigoted brother in Law, who is worried of his sons wearing Pink and Gay t-shirts and later is the one who finger John Baxter as straight. Later, Lyle's sister, Charlie (Betsy Schwartz) calls him on it that she doesn't care if any of her boys came out gay.
Overall, the play is about going from exclusion of the past and the inclusion to change the rules to fit the modern vision of equality.
John Baxter is a Switch Hitter plays through September 27th at the Cornish Playhouse, Click Here for Info.
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