Former College Hoopster Pegged To Play Larry Bird on Broadway
Mixed amidst the opening of training camp and the Chris Paul trade mess was another announcement surrounding the NBA, this one a very positive development. The producers of the upcoming Broadway play Magic Bird announced they had found their "Larry," and he has even played some hoops.
His name is Tug Coker and he will need to grow a little mustache and dye his black hair to fill the role of Larry Legend, but at 6'5" and with a hoops resume (played at William & Mary and Virginia and still plays in rec leagues in Manhattan) he should be in the basketball skills ballpark.
Coker also has quite an acting pedigree as he makes his Broadway debut. He has an M.F.A. from Harvard (a school also enjoying a basketball rebirth) and has been seen in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (American Repertory Theatre, Boston), as well as various guest starring appearances in television shows from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, How I Met Your Mother, and The Office.
“I look forward to experiencing Tug’s portrayal of me during that fun and exciting time in my life," Bird said in the press release. "I am fortunate to be working with great professionals such as Fran, Tony and Eric to create this story for the Broadway Stage.”
The naming of "Larry" is the first step in announcing the rest of the six person cast by producers Fran Kirmser and Tony Ponturo, who are also in the process of finalizing a theater for the play, which is scheduled to open in mid-March of next year.
As for Coker, the New York resident indicated in the release he also has some Celtics green in his blood. "Having grown up a Celtics fan I am extremely excited, humbled and privileged to play Larry Bird," he said. The 90-minute drama, directed by Thomas Kail and written by Eric Simonson, will look to capitalize on a combo of March Madness and NBA resurgence when it opens in the spring and ride that success through the summer when hoops will still be on the mind of casual fans with the Olympics on tap.
Much like their success with Lombardi on Broadway, Kirmser and Ponturo have found a platform that is larger than a sport, with life messages that should bring in a wide-ranging audience. The show, with the help of the NBA, will have many bells and whistles from footage to bouncing basketballs, which will make the sports fan feel right at home with the Broadway fan.
Hopefully Coker, and whoever plays Magic, will be able to knock down their performances as smoothly as their real life counterparts were able to hit jumpers.
