Centerstage August 1, 2007
The Centerstage Review
by Adam Fendelman.
Kids are the most honest critics. When a little girl stands up and says "daddy, I didn't know Honus Wagner was real!" during a show, it speaks volumes about the power of the performance.
With "Honus and Me" now showing at the Goodman, your expectations are already up a few notches anyway.
But fret not, my friend; this children's show delivers even before the curtain goes up. Cast members get you in the baseball mood from the get-go by chucking mushy balls to tykes in the crowd. They yelp "here! here! here!" in desperate unison for the opportunity to play along.
After catch time ends, the show promptly begins. You quickly notice they've elaborately transformed the Owen stage into a baseball field with a diamond, bleachers, bats, balls, uniforms, sounds and actors who pass as professional ballplayers. They're retelling the story of Honus Wagner, one of baseball's greatest all-around players, as a modern-day boy stumbles upon his baseball card while cleaning a neighbor's attic. The 1909 Honus Wagner T-206, which is valued at $2.35 million today, is no regular piece of cardboard.
It's the most coveted the world has to offer.
Growing up as a kid who collected cards myself, the T-206 was like a unicorn. While I knew a handful existed, it was the scarcest card in the world. I remember seeing it once behind bulletproof plastic while visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. It was unadulterated awe.
Do not mistake this children's show as one just for kids.
This 28-year-old critic took great pleasure in reminiscing back to his card-collecting days, while reliving the sphinx-like feeling of what it's like for a father to play catch with his son. For many, that experience is one of the most memorable and defining in childhood.