LOMBARDI A REVIEW

It's not easy to to bring sports icons to life on stage. Most of the time they come off as stereotypes or self-patronizing, so I had no idea what to expect from a play celebrating the career of the legendary Vince Lombardi who was one of the best and most loved figures to coach in theN.F.L. so it's a pleasure to report that playwright Eric Simonson has taken the life of this remarkable person and turned it into a solid and sometimes moving play "Lombardi".
Working from David Maraniss' 1999 biography" When Pride Still Mattered" Mr. Simonson zeros in on the year 1965 when he took over the Green Bay Packers and led a last place team to three consecutive N.F.L.championships,and how his obsession with winning affected his family life.
What makes this play work so well is the fact that Mr. Simonson understands his subject inside out and makes this legendary coach the gruff but lovable figure he was and in Dan Lauria's larger than life performance Mr. Lombardi is not just a magnificent coach but a man of great dignity and stature.
There is another notable performance by Judith Light as Lombardie's long suffering but supportive wife and the rest of the cast is for the most part first rate.
The director Thomas Kail has staged the play with a firm hand and has even managed to deal with the fact that the play is performed in the round surrounded by the audience reasonably well. However I think that this play would be even more effective in a standard theatre where the actors faces would be visable for the whole evening rather than looking at their backs part of the time.
But this is just a small and personal gripe. What matters most is that " Lombardi" is solidly crafted and beautifully acted and the best thing is that you don't have to be a football fan to be moved by it.
This is one play that is well worth seeing and the National Football League deserves alot of credit for sponsoring it.
At THE CIRCLE IN THE SQUARE THEATRE 50th STREET WEST OF BROADWAY N.Y.C.