One of the marks of a great pitcher is the ability to throw at multiple speeds and levels. In Jonathan A. Goldberg’s historically inspired Sousepaw: A Baseball Story, a 70-minute two-hander about renowned major league pitcher Rube Waddell’s last shot at a comeback, the pitches are mostly imprecise fastballs. James B. Kennedy plays Waddell, a washed-up alcoholic who hires a local circus's Reptile Girl (Christina Pumariega) to keep him company in a dingy hotel room as he prepares for a meeting that he believes will reenergize his career. Kennedy finds endearing moments for the childlike Waddell, and Pumariega shows hints of gritty weariness as the two tussle and look to one another for hope, but their exchanges tend to make up in volume what they lack in chemistry, and Courtney Ulrich’s unimaginative direction leaves them to fend for themselves. Costume designer Deanna R. Frieman does the best work: Her old-style baseball uniform and drab color schemes evoke the dreariness and despair in the characters’ hearts. They are not enough, however, to dress up the play. Goldberg needs to find more depth and nuance for a better chance at the strike zone.—Robin Rothstein
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