Playing Catch

What is it about baseball that so connects father to son? Think Field of Dreams and that iconic moment when Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner)–who turned his cornfield into a baseball field for reasons even the movie’s producers probably don’t understand–is divinely given another chance to play catch with his father. Think The Natural when Robert Redford (as Roy Hobbs) learns he has a son, which propels him to new baseball heights and pyrotechnics. Sure, these are schmaltzy, but they still work for me. Now think Lee Blessing’s The Winning Streak, a bittersweet play in which a retired umpire meets his son–the product of a one-nighter–for the first time because the son wants to get to know him. Dad is a superstitious crank and willing to tolerate his son as long as he thinks his son’s presence is responsible for his favorite team’s winning streak. What the play lacks in sentimentality, it gains in realism–the Irving Community Theatre has cast a real-life father and son in the lead roles. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with a matinee showing at 2:30 p.m. Sunday. For tickets call 972-594-6104 or visit irvingtheatre.org.

Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2:30 p.m. Starts: Aug. 1. Continues through Aug. 10, 2008