Previews for the staging begin Jan. 22, 2005 towards a Jan. 29, 2005 opening night. Performances are scheduled at the California company's Northside Theatre through Feb. 20, 2005. Magic artistic associate Amy Glazer directs. The Sweetest Swing in Baseball finds a successful artist who has suddenly come into a funk when her latest exhibition goes sour, as does her personal life. The artist finds solace (or safety) in a psychiatric hospital as she becomes the bad boy of America's favorite pastime.
The cast of the new Gilman work features Anne Darragh as Erica/Dr. Stanton, Velina Brown as Rhonda/Dr Gilbert and Ian Scott McGregor as Michael/Brian. The roles of Dana and Roy/Gary are to be announced shortly.
The design team includes John Wilson (scenic), Maggie Whitaker (costumes) and Kurt Landisman (lighting).
"I'm thrilled to be working with the Magic again and I'm very much looking forward to returning to my artistic home by the Bay," said Gilman in a release. The playwright has seen her other works The American in Me and Blue Surge at the San Francisco venue — both directed by Glazer.
The new work debuted in March 2004 at London's Royal Court Theatre starring "X Files" actress Gillian Anderson in the lead role of Dana.
Gilman has penned the plays Blue Surge, Spinning Into Butter, Boy Gets Girl, The American in Me and the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Glory of Living. She was the only American ever to win the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright in London.
Tickets for The Sweetest Swing in Baseball at the Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center, (Building D, Laguna at Marina Blvd.) in San Francisco, are available by calling (415) 441-8822 or online at www.magictheatre.org.