Published Friday, February 24, 2012, 4:46 PM
This is the final weekend of performances for the play Branch, currently on stage at the Society Hill Playhouse.
Starring Steve Hatzai as Branch Rickey, general manager of of the Brooklyn Dodgers, the one-man play deals significantly with Rickey's central role in hiring Jackie Robinson and breaking baseball's color barrier.
Dr. Warren Seider, a chemical engineering professor at Penn and childhood Brooklyn Dodgers fan, reviewed the play here previously. About it he wrote, among other things:
I cannot comment on the authenticity of Hatzi as a Rickey actor, or the authenticity of the script by the playwright, Walt Vail. However, in my view, this combination produces an image that goes far in capturing the impact of Rickey and the remarkable skill of Jackie Robinson in achieving so much success. Based upon the outstanding results, I'm confident that Hatzi and Vail captured the Rickey characteristics that did so much to integrate sports and society in America.
Branch is on the Society Hill Playhouse's Red Room stage tonight at 7 PM, tomorrow at 8 PM and Sunday at 3 PM. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by calling 215-923-0210.
This weekend, Philadelphia Jewish Culture Examiner will finally have a chance to see the play and expects to publish a review prior to the final performance. (There should also be a review by Phillies uberfan Susan Finkelstein, whose own personal commitment to Major League Baseball cannot be doubted by anyone who followed the news in October 2009.)
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