Theater Review of Baseball and Steroids Play Back Back Back

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Theater Review of Back Back Back
New York City Theater, NY - 15 minutes ago
It doesn’t take long to realize that “Back Back Back,” a fictional documentary exploring the 2005 steroid scandal that rocked the national pastime, is about Jose Canseco, who gleefully confessed to using steroids to enhance his athletic performance; Mark McGuire, who denied accusations of steroid use; and Walt Weiss, another supposed abstainer. From 1986-88, these three men were the Oakland Athletics’ rookies of the year.

The title “Back Back Back” refers to the expression used by sports announcers when a home run is hit. Just as there are nine innings in baseball, the 90-minute drama consists of nine scenes from the “greed is good” 1980s to the present day in private locker rooms – and then finally outside of a congressional hearing. An electronic scoreboard above the stage keeps track of the dates.

Our characters include Kent (Jeremy Davidson), a major star who takes steroids but expresses some guilt over his actions; Raul (James Martinez), who zealously argues that steroid use is necessary for any athlete to compete; and Adam (Michael Mosley), a morally righteous youngster who looks down on the so-called “pre-game vitamins” of his teammates. To be extra safe, playwright Itmar Moses never actually uses the word “steroids” in the entire play ...


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