Upon entering the theater, the US Open stadium tennis court is in full view. A blue hardcourt playing surface. The huge lighting fixture at the top. Scoreboards on both sides. And somehow, both the inner stadium wall and a large open sky. Not a literal translation but theatrical and perfectly rendered for the play which follows. I open the Playbill and see that the set designer is Tim Mackabee, who I just praised this past week for his outstanding work on Describe the Night. I look forward to what he does next, he’s that good.
The Last Match takes place over the course of a semi-final men’s tennis game at the US Open. Tim is the reigning American golden boy of tennis but having a slump year at age 30. Sergei is the up and coming new Russian player. A whole match ensues over ninety minutes. The players mime the points and communicate their thoughts. In between (and there is a lot of in between), there are flashbacks and asides involving both of their love interests. Tim is married to ex-tennis pro, Mallory. Sergei’s girlfriend, who eschews French fries for her figure, is Galinda. Both ladies spend time in the player’s boxes during the match.
As fair disclosure, I am a tennis fan who attended the Australian Open last January. So I probably have a natural affinity for this material. Frankly, as described above, it is hard to imagine an exciting game of make believe tennis. Improbably, that is exactly what happens. Foot fault. Line drive to one’s players head. Aces and double faults. Passing shots and emotions. The zeal to devote one’s existence to a sport. The support structure that is needed. The hunger to get to the top ten. The panic of aging and falling from the pinnacle. The need to go to the diner for a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich while in NYC. It’s all there.
An entertaining play that zips along with plenty to say, The Last Match is performed by a company of four actors who seem to naturally inhabit their characters. At the performance I saw, Tim was played by understudy JD Taylor (Sundown, Yellow Moon). He was excellent. His nemesis, Sergei, embodied by Alex Mickiewicz (Long Days Journey Into Night), is the flashier role. He’s the new bad boy with plenty of quips to go along with the thick accent. He was also excellent and very funny. This play was written by Anna Ziegler, best known for the West End’s Photograph 51 starring Nicole Kidman. The Last Match is a nice example of a really good evening at the theater.