September 27, 2016

In 1958, the Dodgers’ first season in Los Angeles, 8-year-old Ken Levine got a hometown baseball team and his first taste of legendary play-by-play announcer Vin Scully. The rest is history. 

“Most kids grow up wanting to be ballplayers. When I first heard (Scully), I knew I wanted to be an announcer,” Levine said, beaming from behind a plate of eggs and biscuits inside John O’Groats on Pico Boulevard. 

The press box of a Los Angeles baseball stadium provides the backdrop for Levine’s third playwriting effort, “Going … Going … GONE!” The baseball-centered stage play is set for its world premiere at the Hudson Guild Theatre in Hollywood on Oct. 1, continuing through Nov. 6. 

In a television, film and broadcasting career that has spanned more than 30 years, the Emmy-winning Levine, 66, has served as the head writer of “M*A*S*H,” produced “Cheers,” co-created three sitcoms of his own, and has spent the last 20 years doing radio/TV play-by-play for the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres. He also served as host of “Dodger Talk” on the Los Angeles sports radio station KLAC-AM for eight years. Levine even shared broadcasting duties via simulcast for a Dodgers spring training game with his idol Scully — the crown jewel of his accomplishments, he says. 

Levine’s play blends poignancy and Neil Simon-esque comedy and is grounded in rich characterizations. Set over the course of one long, extra-inning game, the lives of four very different sports media personalities — Shana, a female sideline reporter; Dennis, a first-time official scorer; Big Jim, a blogger; and Mason, an L.A. Times reporter — are changed forever while covering the game. 

The central idea of the play was the impetus for Levine, rather than characters or plot — a rarity in Levine’s writing process. 

“I wrote the play backward in the sense that usually when I write anything — a television episode, a film or a play — I have an idea and see the potential of it. I work on characters and plot out the story, then start writing it. As I write it, theme generally emerges. You see what it’s really about. On this one, I started with the theme first. I started with the notion of how we all want to be remembered, which I call my mid-AARP crisis.” 

The sharp-edged, rhythmic banter of Levine’s characters makes for an engaging avenue to explore the concept of legacy. A shocking twist near the end then brings the conversation to a head, raising questions we all find ourselves asking at times — at least inwardly. 

“How important is it to be remembered? What are we trying to be remembered for? How does chasing your legacy impact how you live your life now? That seemed to me like an interesting area for a play,” Levine said. 

For Levine, baseball felt like the natural backdrop. But he foresaw one issue early on: how to show the game being played. The solution he concocted provided the play’s unique take on a baseball narrative. 

“I landed upon baseball because it’s a sport built around history and milestones and passing that on from generation to generation more than any other sport. As it just so happens, I’ve been a baseball announcer for close to 30 years. It’s a subject I know well. The problem with baseball plays or movies is usually you need to see the game. I figured out a way of seeing the game without seeing the field. Once I decided to center it on the press box, the play began taking shape.” 

Although the play’s characters are technically on the job, very little actual work is being done, with the game mostly an afterthought. For example, Dennis, the official scorer for the game, often misses key plays on the diamond. A few elements of the game manage to slip into the action up in the press box — some interplay with the announcer and a hilarious gag involving the national anthem come to mind. 

Though Levine admits to exaggerating certain elements for comedic effect, he insists his depiction of the press box — the practical jokes, ruthless digs, blatant sexism and political incorrectness — is mostly true. In fact, the play’s four characters are all loosely based on people Levine has come across while covering baseball. It was territory he mined that felt ripe for theatrics. 

“When I hosted ‘Dodger Talk,’ I would do the pre- and postgame show. During the game, I’d sit in the press box with all the reporters and many, many nights they were way more entertaining than the game.”

On the flip side, the play doesn’t pull punches when alluding to pop culture portrayals of sportswriters and reporters. Even Neil Simon, whom Levine credits as a major influence, can’t escape ridicule. 

Mason, the L.A. Times reporter, at one point remarks, “How could Oscar cover the Mets and still host a weekly poker game?” referencing Walter Matthau’s Oscar Madison character in Simon’s “The Odd Couple.” And Big Jim, a blogger for “Balls dot com,” asks, “How could Ray cover the Yankees and never leave his house?” implicating Ray Romano’s character in “Everybody Loves Raymond.” 

The play is currently in rehearsal under the helm of Andrew Barnicle, the former longtime artistic director of the Laguna Playhouse. Barnicle directed Levine’s last play, “A or B,” for the Falcon Theater. Citing his admiration for Barnicle’s directing style, the familiarity present in the pair’s working relationship and a shared love of baseball, Levine said Barnicle was his clear-cut first choice to direct his latest play. Levine is present at rehearsals, “a fly on the wall,” as he puts it, making minimal changes to the script when called upon. 

“The last thing the actors need is two directors,” Levine said. 

With the play set to premiere Oct. 1, Levine is adamant that baseball simply provides the framework and hopes that his story, its characters and the prevailing comedy will make the production widely accessible. 

“Baseball is just the backdrop of the play. You don’t have to love baseball to enjoy it. This is about the characters and their lives. Hopefully, it’s very funny.”

Levine then pauses, stirs his iced tea with his straw, ruminating on this, and finally adds:

“I was on ‘Cheers’ for nine years. Think of these characters as Norm and Cliff, and all the idiots at the bar.” 

For more information and tickets, visit plays441.com.