Steppenwolf presents THE GREAT LEAP Review

No hoops onstage at Steppenwolf

Directed by Jesca Prudencio and designed by Justin Humphres, the story pounds its way on a basketball court without actual hoops. In those positions on either side of the stage are metal grill boxes from which colored spotlights spin and bob like bouncing balls. Above the tiered audience seats are screens that project scoreboards, Beijing street scenes and other visuals that take us back and forth between countries and time periods. From the opening scene when Manford makes his urgent case to Saul till the final moments, the driving intensity doesn’t let up.

Fine acting quartet in THE GREAT LEAP

Saul and Wen Chang first meet in 1971 during the dark days of the Cultural Revolution. Somehow, despite Mao Zedong’s determination to rid the People’s Republic of China of capitalist influences, the crusty foul-mouthed coach travels to Beijing and instructs the dutiful Party member on developing a basketball team. An able and well-cast pair, Keith Kupferer as Saul and James Saol as Wen Chang clash and connect and then part ways for 18 years. In the interim, Wen Chang cultivates Chinese talent, tall as weeds, and builds a formidable team. Saul, “the least circumcised Jew from the Bronx,” finds his USF job in jeopardy after a poor season.

Initially put off by underage, under-height Manford – played with explosive agility by Glenn Obrero – Saul turns to him for his own career survival. Rounding out the fine acting quartet is Deanna Myers as Manford’s cousin Connie. The young woman isn’t really a biological relative. Chinatown-community style, her parents took Manford under their wing when his immigrant single mother moved into their building. Now his mother has died and Connie steps in as the lone advocate for Manford’s off-court wellbeing.

Tianamen Square protests and cultural identity

Though her concerns are far more personal, Connie unwittingly has good reason to worry about Manford’s upcoming trip to Beijing. It’s June 1989 and the Tiananmen Square protests are brewing as the bus makes its way through the streets. Manford disappears and ends up in the crowds, leading a chant of “U.S.A, U.S.A.”

When Wen Chang discovers this blatant transgression, he threatens Saul with excluding Manford from the game. Layers of history underpin this threat. The introspective Chinese coach describes the deep losses that accompany his success in creating a competitive basketball time. If Saul lives in fear of getting fired for losing too many games, Wen Chang lives in fear of stepping out of line. “Waiting your turn” is less about polite gamesmanship than about avoiding unfavorable attention from the authorities. He has already paid a steep price for stepping back into a shadow of safety.