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GayCityNews.com | APRIL 21 - May 4, 2022
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Out at the Ball Game
Locker room drama lays bare entrenched
homophobia in Major League Baseball
BY DAVID KENNERLEY
When “Take Me Out” debuted
at the Public Theater
in 2002, it spotlighted
a thorny issue — the
dearth of openly gay players in Major
League Baseball. The play imagined
what might happen if a player announced
his homosexuality (spoiler
alert: it goes horribly wrong). Richard
Greenberg’s searing comic drama,
which famously featured shower
scenes with full-on male nudity, moved
to Broadway and won the Tony Award
for Best Play, plus the Pulitzer Prize.
Nearly two decades later, one might
have hoped that the revival at Broadway’s
Hayes Theater would register as
a period piece, and that an openly gay
pro athlete would no longer get folks’
jock straps in a twist. Incredibly, other
than the late Glenn Burke — who was
out to many teammates in the 1970s —
no active Major League Baseball player
has yet dared come out as gay. Apparently,
the rampant homophobia both in
the locker room and on the playing field
is still so toxic, coming out is untenable.
The play is set in 2002, but would
not be out of place if set in 2022.
In “Take Me Out,” the player in question
is no ordinary Joe. His name is
Darren Lemming, the winsome, charismatic
star centerfielder of the Empire
baseball team (think Derek Jeter during
the Yankees’ glory days). Women
want to date him. Men want to be him.
One day, without warning, he casually
proclaims his same-sex leanings at a
routine press conference.
No stranger to controversy, Darren
is biracial and has faced a lifetime of
bias and contempt. For this hotshot,
played with cool arrogance by TV star
Jesse Williams (“Grey’s Anatomy”),
sexuality, like skin color, is no big
deal. Exuding an “aura of invincible,”
he doesn’t care what people think. To
everyone else, however, it is a big deal
indeed. Soon after his revelation, the
first-place team starts losing games,
and later, a fluke tragedy occurs.
Not that the drama, directed with
precision by Scott Ellis, is only concerned
with the politics of sexuality.
Greenberg explores intimacy, masculinity,
and team dynamics, examining
the complex bonds between men no
matter their religion, race, or sexual orientation.
As befitting a New York team,
the Empires are a melting pot featuring
Latinx, Asian, Black, and white players,
as well as dolts and intellectuals.
“Take Me Out” is narrated by the
erudite Kippy Sunderstrom (an appealing
Patrick J. Adams), Darren’s
best bud on the team, as if he were recounting
a doozy of a tale over a few
beers. Kippy, married with three kids,
isn’t afraid to express his admiration
for his hero, and insists the gay “thing”
won’t affect their relationship.
The openly gay Jesse Tyler Ferguson
casts a wry spin on his portrayal of
Mitchell on “Modern Family,” a solid fit
for the nebbishy Mason.
Darren’s teammates are flummoxed by
the shift in dynamics in the locker room.
Suddenly, showering beside another man
is freighted with discomfiture.
Theatrical productions like the superbly
provocative “Take Me Out,” help
move the conversation forward. Let’s
hope the next Broadway revival is the
period piece it deserves to become.
Queering Baseball’s Fan Favorite Foods
BY HEATHER CASSELL
Batter up! Baseball and softball
seasons are stepping up
to the plate ready to hit home
runs.
With the MLB season underway and
the amateur softball season already
swinging into the spring, fans can
quench their thirst with Dyke Beer
and satisfy their hunger with Yeah
Dawg‘s hot dogs.
“I love a good ball game. I love a
good sporting event,” said Sarah Hallonquist,
who founded and owns Dyke
Beer with Loretta Andro Chung.
Dyke Beer recently released its latest
brew, Go Down Under, an Australian
sparkling style ale. Chung and Hallonquist
are looking forward to releasing
the latest season of Tall Girl for Pride
Month.
Go Down Under is a fun post-game
drink if you win and you want to celebrate.
“It is really festive when you see it in
the glass,” she said about the brew.
Beyond the game, Hallonquist said,
“It’s easy to drink on a summer’s day or
outside dancing on a patio for Pride.”
Gay City News got to taste the light,
bubbly, citrusy ale, Go Down Under, at
a launch party at Wandering Barman
last month. Like Hallonquist said, the
beer is perfect for enjoying in the warm
months ahead. The beer is bright, refreshing,
and fun with its bubbles that
dance on the tongue.
The beer was flowing from the tap
for a full crowd of hipster queer women
and gender variant people mixing and
mingling as the DJ spun music in the
background at the new cocktail “brewery”
in East Williamsburg. Wandering
Barman opened in October 2021.
The sparkling-style ale was also
available in six-packs to take home.
Dyke Beer can be found in restaurants,
taprooms, and stores in about
80 different locations around New York
and online ready to ship.
Being queer women brewers, Chung
and Hallonquist are on a mission to
be creative beyond the male-dominated
IPA craft brews and to expand LGBTQ
beer palates beyond typical beer
choices. At the same time, they have
always put their own twist on traditional
beer recipes for their brews
that are considered gateway beers in
the craft brewing industry. Gateway
beers introduce beer drinkers to craft
brews.
“We should be doing things that are
more creative,” Hallonquist said.
For spending the day out at the
ballpark along with other spring and
summertime outdoor fun, Yeah Dawg’s
loaded vegan hot dogs are the perfect
companion with Dyke Beer’s brews.
“Classic kraut and relish are the
best, honestly,” said Marino Benedetto,
founder and owner of Yeah Dawg. However,
when they are out at an event,
Benedetto goes all out by loading up
the dogs with the brand’s coconut bacon,
sunflower cheese, and chives on a
pretzel bun.
“I love a bacon cheese dog,” Benedetto
said.
Dyke Beer/Connie Chavez
Dyke Beer co-founders Loretta Andro Chung, left, and
Sarah Hallonquist, right.
Joan Marcus
The Cast of “Take Me Out.”
food
/GayCityNews.com
