"Hit Man: The Hack Wilson Story," the world premiere drama featuring the life story of one of the most celebrated baseball players in Chicago Cubs history, is being performed at Bailiwick Repertory Theatre, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., through Sunday, Oct. 30. Emmy-Award winning Jon Kaplan wrote this exploration of the rags-to-riches life of Wilson, whose heroic accomplishments on the baseball field were overshadowed by his reckless off-field antics.
Set in the Golden Age of baseball over 75 years ago, "Hit Man: The Hack Wilson Story" journeys back to Chicago in the late 1920s, when the glory of Wrigley Field contrasted with the pallor of the Great Depression. Based on an interview on CBS Radio's "We the People" done by Wilson after his retirement, "Hit Man: The Hack Wilson Story" traces his humble beginnings working in a Pennsylvania steel mill to his extraordinary record-breaking success in Major League Baseball.
In 1929, Hack Wilson led the Chicago Cubs to the World Series. By 1930, Wilson set a National League Record of 56 home runs, and a Major League Record of 191 runs batted in, a record that stands to this day. As Wilson's success reached a pinnacle, his tumultuous lifestyle in Prohibition Era Chicago began to affect his athleticism. He rollicked through the Roaring Twenties, only to see his career come crashing down in a tailspin of drinking and carousing in the Depression Era 1930s. Within only a few years, Wilson went from hero to has-been. With parallels to the choices that motivate many professional athletes today, "Hit Man: The Hack Wilson Story" is a cautionary tale of the perils of achieving fame and fortune at all costs.
Regular performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 3:30 p.m., through Sunday, Oct. 30. Tickets are $22 on Thursdays, and $25 on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Tickets can be purchased at (773) 883-1090 or www.bailiwick.org. |
