Second Stage's Broadway revival of Richard Greenberg’s Take Me Out officially opens at the Hayes Theater April 4. Directed by Scott Ellis, the production began previews March 10 and is currently scheduled to continue through May 29.
Jesse Williams stars as baseball star Darren Lemming, center fielder for the Empires, who comes out of the closet, revealing a tradition of long-held unspoken prejudices off the field. As the Empires struggle to rally toward a championship season, the players and their fans begin to question the old ways, their loyalties, and the price of victory.
Co-starring with Williams are Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Patrick J. Adams, Julian Cihi, Hiram Delgado, Brandon J. Dirden, Carl Lundstedt, Ken Marks, Michael Oberholtzer, Eduardo Ramos, and Tyler Lansing Weaks. The company is rounded out by understudies Ryan Broussard, Michael Castillejos, Lance Takeshi, Stephen Wattrus, and Tim Wright.
The production, which features full-frontal male nudity, requires use of Yondr pouches, into which audience members' phones are placed and locked for the duration of the performance, all while still in guests' own possession. The pouches are then unlocked and collected by staff at the end of the show. Yondr pouches have been seen on Broadway previously during the original run of Freestyle Love Supreme. For more information, visit OverYondr.com.
Take Me Out premiered on Broadway in 2003, winning the Best Play Tony Award. Second Stage's production is the play's first Broadway revival. Ellis and Williams will reportedly continue their work with the piece as it is adapted as a TV mini-series expected to premiere later this year.
Second Stage's revival features scenic design by David Rockwell, costume design by Linda Cho, lighting design by Kenneth Posner, sound design by Bray Poor, and casting by Jim Carnahan. Fight direction is by Sordelet Inc., with Barclay Stiff serving as production stage manager and Kelly Levy as stage manager.
The production is supported by grants from the Berlanti Family Foundation, the Blanche & Irving Laurie Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.