Beltway Bambinos

What: Looking for Roberto Clemente

When: April 13, 2016- May 22, 2016

Where: Imagination Stage
4908 Auburn Avenue Bethesda, Maryland 20814

Why: Sam and Charlie are best friends and baseball fanatics in Pittsburgh, PA, in the year 1972. Puerto Rican superstar Roberto Clemente is the hero of the Pittsburgh Pirates, having led the team to victory after years of losing. When a mysterious fly ball transforms Sam into a Little League Superstar pitcher, he is invited onto the most prestigious Little League team in town, while Charlie is rejected for being a girl. Charlie forms her own team with the less athletic kids and her new friend Tommy, a boy with a disability. Sam and Charlie ultimately discover what it truly means to be a “hero” when their final game coincides with Clemente’s fateful decision to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

My baseball fanatic son liked watching the characters play “ball” and he enjoyed the backdrop which sometimes used old baseball clips. The show sparked a conversation between my five year old and myself on the topic of including others. The director casts a man who in real life has a disability dreaming of wanting to play ball. It brought an authentic feel to the play and allowed my son to learn about the importance of inclusion. The play did get a bit somber and left the younger audience sad as we learned about the disappearance of Mr. Clemente. However, the end of the play brought the characters all together.

Details:
Running time is 75 minutes with one intermission.

Tickets can be purchased here. Tickets range from $12-$35 each with group and field trip rates available.

Looking for Roberto Clemente is recommended for ages 5+.

(Photo credit: Margot Schulman)