Bucks County Playhouse, 70 S. Main St. in New Hope, announced that it is creating and producing an all-new production of Ray Didinger’s autobiographical play Tommy and Me, May 19 to June 20. Nick Corley will direct. Casting and creative team will be announced soon. The new production kicks off Bucks County Playhouse’s 2023 season. A special pre-sale is underway. Tickets can be purchased at BucksCountyPlayhouse.org or 215-862-2121.
“This year, the Philadelphia Eagles captured the attention of the entire region with a truly exciting season. When I saw the Tommy and Me a year ago, I was so moved I wanted to mount our own production,” said Alexander Fraser, producing director. “We hope to keep the spirit of the Eagles season going by revisiting this play and are excited to welcome football fans and theater fans back to the Playhouse this May.”
“I’m delighted to bring the story of Tommy and Me back to the Bucks County Playhouse,” said Didinger, playwright and award-winning journalist. “We had a wonderful run there last spring. We had full houses almost every night with many in the audience wearing Eagles green, but the story of my friendship with Hall of Famer Tommy McDonald connected with even non-football fans. It’s a story about little boys, their heroes and dreams coming true. Those are themes that will resonate with anyone.”
Magical things can happen when a boy meets his sports idol. Legendary sports journalist Didinger’s lifelong friendship with famously-tough Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Tommy McDonald led both down an unexpected path, straight to Canton, Ohio and the National Football League’s Hall of Fame. Tommy and Me is a Valentine to the relationship between sports stars and fans everywhere.
Didinger was the first print journalist inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. As a columnist for the Philadelphia Bulletin and Philadelphia Daily News, he was named Pennsylvania Sports Writer of the Year five times. In 1995, he won the Dick McCann Award for long and distinguished reporting on pro football, and his name was added to the writers’ honor roll at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He also won six Emmy Awards as a writer and producer for NFL Films. He has authored or co-authored 11 books, including One Last Read: The Collected Works of the World’s Slowest Sportswriter (Temple) and The Ultimate Book of Sports Movies.
