This weekend the Guthrie Theater kicks off the new year with "The Great Leap," a basketball-themed show about U.S. and Chinese teams competing in Beijing.
Playwright Lauren Yee was inspired by the experiences of her father, a Chinese-American who played on a U.S. squad that traveled to China for some friendly games in 1981, after the formerly closed-off country started accepting Western visitors again.
"He was basically on a pickup team with some friends and they went up against Chinese players who were Olympic athletes. Of course they got slaughtered," said the sharp-witted New York writer, who developed her humor-laced drama at Minneapolis' Playwrights' Center.
The Guthrie seems to be downplaying the sports angle in its promo materials — "You don't have to be a history or basketball buff to engage with the story," says its website — but perhaps it can lure a few die-hard jocks to the McGuire Proscenium Stage. After all, competitive drive and the urge to excel are what this play is all about.
"Everyone is hustling for their moment or the right circumstance to seize whatever destiny they have imagined for themselves," said Yee, who premiered two earlier plays in the Twin Cities at Theater Mu: "Ching Chong Chinaman" and "The Tiger Among Us."
Of course, this isn't the first time a playwright has used sports to tackle serious themes. Read on for our power rankings of dramas that put athletes in the spotlight.
'The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity'
Sport: Pro wrestling
What's at stake: In a game that contains a fair amount of acting, some clever tricksters try to bust out of the bigotry that binds them.
How sporty is it? ★★★★ out of 4 stars
Like a flying drop kick. Buff actor Ansa Akyea starred in a 2010 staging of the Kristoffer Diaz play at Mixed Blood Theatre.
'The Royale'
Sport: Boxing.
What's at stake: Personal pathos and barriers outside the ring faced by a fighter that playwright Marco Ramirez based on Jack Johnson, the first black champion.
How sporty is it? ★★★★ out of 4 stars
A knockout, as demonstrated by a rhythmically hypnotic production at Yellow Tree Theatre last winter.
