It begins with the soothing, nostalgic sounds of late, long-time Yankee Stadium organist Eddie Layton's baseball tunes, heard before the show via recording. That's a just a warm-up for about 30 timely, funny, highly clever song parodies during Chuckleball, a one-of-a-kind show aimed at sports fans, from diehard to casual.
From the moment you receive the Playbill -- in this case called the "Play Ball" -- you realize this is a rare theatrical production, a musical about sports. Chuckleball is in its final week off Broadway, but is located on Broadway at the Snapple Theatre. The production is looking for its next home as it concludes a successful run in the Big Apple.

"There's a challenge," said Jason Goldstein, Chuckleball's producer and co-writer with fellow New Jerseyan Ian Nemser. "We want the material to be broad enough in scope that even the casual sports fan, or even someone that just happens to flip on the news, can get all the jokes. But we also want those diehards to really say, 'Oh Wow!'

"The people that follow every stat, they're on the websites every day, talking about the latest breaking news. We want them to also enjoy it."

Goldstein, a Rutgers graduate from East Brunswick, wanted to create a musical satire of celebrated sports figures, similar to the way Forbidden Broadway pokes fun at famous Broadway shows. The result is a fast-moving, eclectic collection of tunes that combine the melodies of popular songs with new lyrics that lampoon the latest sports headlines.

"I think the thing that's most fun about it is that Chuckleball's a long-range show," Goldstein said. "It's not something that's going to play for a few months and then you're done. We're constantly evolving, we're changing the material. And because of that, we can use an entire catalog of music, which is great. We don't get sick of any one song.

"The Mitchell Report came out. And we said, 'We have to. The audience is going to expect that.'"

Indeed, just days after the report's release, Chuckleball's team of four performers and a piano player were already doing a tune about Mitchell's list, sung to the music of Hall & Oates' "Kiss On My List."

The song features a Paul LoDuca character, dressed in a Mets uniform, singing, "I always smile when I lie, now the world knows why. It's Mitchell's list, his list, I'm on his list. And now I'm pissed, I'm pissed I'm on this list. I'm really pissed I'm on this list. It'll ruin my life."

Two songs address Michael Vick's dog fighting, one to the tune of Baha Men's "Who Let The Dogs Out?" NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and a group of sign-wielding PETA protestors cry, "Who let the dogs fight? Vick, Vick, Vick, Vick!"

Actor Noah DiBiase sings as LoDuca and Goodell, among his many other roles in Chuckleball. He says he loves the variety the show affords him as a performer.

"Getting to do all these different people and different physicality's, and just embodying different personas, so many of them so quick," he said. "It's just absolutely a blast."

The many well-known figures represented in Chuckleball, many from New York teams, get a rise from the audience.

"When we come out and portray them, the audience has immediate recognition and just [gives] that extra boost to the performance," DiBiase said.

One song is sung by Vick himself, played by Mike Mitchell, Jr., in which he swears he's given up dog fighting, but reveals his new interest, breaking into Tom Jones' "What's New Pussycat?" The new words include, "Pussycat, pussycat, don't you fret, I won't bet, 'cause I'll be locked up in jail."

With about 30 scenes/songs and just four performers, the cast has a demanding -- but rewarding -- job.

"It's tough," said Mitchell, Jr. "But it's challenging, it's fun. It definitely doesn't get old doing this show. Nothing's stale. It's always fresh. The order of the show changes, the numbers get moved around."

Chuckleball's energetic leadoff song is sung by Tiger Woods, portrayed by Justin Senense, to the tune of Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger." It takes shots at Woods' endless list of commercial endorsements.

Woods sings, "I am Tiger and I shoot under par, have a hundred commercials from Nike. Just in case you were wondering, Buick makes a great car. I'm the most endorsed athlete, yes I am Tiger."

"Sports guys, they're role models," Senense said. "And when they do something wrong, we want to tell them, 'Hey, come on -- my kids look up to you.' So I guess this is a great outlet for parents, for kids.

"We know this is a great family show. A bunch of kids come. And I know that they can use it as like a lesson. It can be a children's show, and it's a great way for parents to be like, 'OK, Michael Vick did this. Don't do this.'

"You can turn it into kind of a children's lesson for your family. And that's entertaining as well."

Later, Senense's Woods character is joined by endorsement queen Michelle Wie, played by Katey Daniel, as the pair dance with a golf club and Wheaties box, respectively.

To the melody of Madonna's "Material Girl," Wie sings, "'Cause we are living in a cereal world, and I am a cereal girl. You know that we are living in a cereal world, and I am a cereal girl."

So far, none of the sports figures portrayed in Chuckleball have attended the show, but Daniel says they should.

"I wish that the sports players would come and see themselves be roasted," she said. "I think that they would get a kick out of it. It's a lot of fun. And we wouldn't do anything that would, I think, personally offend them to the point where they would write a letter and complain or anything."

Chuckleball does toe the chalk line of controversy, however. One number features a James Dolan character, complete with a moustache and goatee, and a Nobody Beats The Wiz pullover, joining an Isiah Thomas character for a duet about Anucha Browne Sanders.

Dolan and Thomas laugh about how the former Madison Square Garden employee got rich by suing them, during a song called, "Anucha's Ta Ta's."

One key to Chuckleball's success is matching each parody with the right song. Take "525,600 Pitchers," the show's ode to the ever-changing Yankee starting rotation, done to the music of Rent's "525,600 Minutes."

The number has frustrated Bomber fans crooning, "Igawa, Contreras, Jeff Weaver and Sidney Ponson. Big Unit, Nomo, Loaiza no more. 525,600 pitchers. How can we win with Carl Pavano?"

The show's limited cast necessitates quick backstage changes between scenes, often requiring a new costume and hair to be donned in just seconds. Laughing, DiBiase admitted that recently after the scene where he plays Dolan, he didn't realize he went back out for his next scene still wearing the moustache and goatee. Fortunately, the audience didn't notice.

Such unexpected fun keeps Chuckleball music director Meg Zervoulis laughing while providing the show's one-woman band -- on the piano. As the play quickly changes subjects and characters, Zervoulis' work on the ivory's must reflect that.

"We go from R&B, to jazz, to pop, to swing," she said. "So it's different to change into that character, even though I don't have to change costumes. It's exciting, but also very challenging to play a score like this.

"The cast has a really high energy together, and it's really nice to just come to a place where there's so much positive stuff going on, and a lot of energy every night. So that's another facet of the show that's really exciting for me."

Chuckleball production manager Brad Resnick serves many roles, pitching in wherever needed -- from technical expertise to publicity -- just like everyone else involved in the show. That includes Goldstein, the producer, who greets the arriving audience and hands out programs.

"It's a small company, but it's a very collaborative show," Resnick said. "And we like to have everyone give their own input, and kind of put their own piece into the puzzle."

And Chuckleball's puzzle wouldn't be complete without a number done by Barry Bonds. Dressed in a San Francisco Giants uniform, wielding a bat with a huge crucifix earring dangling, Mitchell, Jr. really does look like the juicing -- er -- home run king.

To the sounds of "I Left My Heart In San Francisco," he sings, "When I come home to you, San Francisco, no perjury, I'll be spot free. My golden pee will shine drug free."

Coming from Bonds, those words certainly drew many audience chuckles indeed.

Chuckleball has added extra performances for its final week off-Broadway, ending Sun. Dec. 30. For ticket information, log onto Chuckleball.com.

Joey Wahler is a contributor to SNY.tv.

from Suddenly single at the holidays [link] [pdf]
By Dr. Judy Kuriansky 12/24/07

For the other holiday theatre experience, treat yourself to gaiety at "Chuckleball: Jailhouse Jocks," a Forbidden-Broadway-inspired musical revue that lampoons sports figures, their endorsements, and fans, with constantly updated news and scandals. Even if you're not a sports fanatic, you'll recognize O.J.'s recent robbery, Michael Vick's dogfighting, baseball steroids, legendary George Forman hawking his outdoor grill ("talking about My Grill" to the Smokey Robinson tune), and a young man's crush on tennis stunner Anna Kournikova (to the tune of the 1979 hit song "My Sharona"). You'll adore the familiar songs, zany comedy, and witty pop culture parody and impersonations by the troupe of talented and energetic young performers. If you suffer from any low energy from being alone during this holiday, this off-Broadway gem will definitely fire you up and put a smile on your face and in your heart. For tickets, see www.chuckleball.com.

Irreverent sports show [link] [pdf]
Two Bayonne residents part of Off-Broadway comedy effort
by Al Sullivan on 12/04/2007

The concept behind "Chuckleball" is simple: sports are a great place from which to generate laughs.

Two Bayonne residents have gotten involved in a show they hope will become a regular feature on college campuses and elsewhere.

The show, currently at the Snapple Theater in New York for a limited run until Dec. 30, parodies sports the way "Forbidden Broadway" does theatrical performances and "The Capitol Steps" abuses politics.

Brad Resnick, 24, of Bayonne (his family owns Resnick's Hardware Store), hooked up with the production a couple of years ago when he was a student at Rutgers University, where Jason Goldstein, a Rutgers alumnus, had developed the show.

Resnick, who graduated from Bayonne High School and attended Rutgers with the idea of collecting a degree in photography, was approached by Goldstein to get involved with the program for an off campus theater troupe called Livingston Theatre Company.

"I had done backstage work in high school and college, but my main focus was photography," Resnick said during a recent interview.

Goldstein, who hails from Central Jersey, had come up with the concept of "Chuckleball" in 2003, apparently realizing that sports made a good vehicle for musical comedy. The show was work-shopped and then performed by the Livingston Theatre Company.

The show went through several changes over the years, from the original off-Broadway production done in 2004 (which played in the Producers Club) to the current version, which is called "Chuckleball: Jailhouse Jocks."

The current version pokes fun through musical parody of the legal troubles of such sports stars at Jason Giambi, Barry Bonds, Kobe Bryant, O.J. Simpson, and others.

The Bonds parody is a mocking lament set to the tune of Tony Bennett's "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," but with lyrics rewritten to imply that Bonds is hoping for a steroid-free urine test.

The parody potential of contemporary sports is so rich, Resnick said Goldstein and his writing partner, Ian Nemser, have to keep updating the songs to keep up with the current changes.

One parody of Michael Vick - who has been charged with promoting dog fighting - uses the Tom Jones' song, "What's New Pussycat."

Four actors make up the cast and involve approximately 30 songs, filling out about 90 minutes of total performance.

Resnick, who is helping to get to promote the show so that it can eventually do a tour of college campuses, said the show appeals to a wide range of people, not just your usual theatergoer.

Good for boys

Megan Zervoulis, also a Bayonne High School graduate, said the show isn't typical theater; sports-minded males might find it even more entertaining than their theater-loving female counterparts.

"Every sports-loving guy can appease his girlfriend by going to a show," Zervoulis said. "But in fact, those guys generally love the show as much as the girl does. We try to keep the show's humor as broad as possible so that everybody likes it."

But both Zervoulis and Resnick say the show would appeal to almost anyone, since most of the sports figures parodied are very familiar names to the general public.

Zervoulis, who also participated in BHS drama productions, joined Resnick in trying to get the show on the road. She plays the piano for the production.

The limited engagement at the Snapple Theater is designed to give the production legs so that it can take its act on the road. The Capital Steps, for instance, play more 500 shows a year.

"Sports are just as popular as politics," he said.

For more information, ticket prices and directions to the theater, go to the production Web site at www.chuckleball.com.

Sports Innerview With Ann Liguori 11/17/07

The Nov. 17th show featured Martin Davis, Editor and Publisher, "Jack Nicklaus, Simply the Best," and Jason Goldstein, Producer, Co-writer, Chuckleball, Off-Broadway. listen mp3

"Chuckleball" takes a look at sports through satirical songs and skits [link] [pdf]
by Barry Wilner, AP Sports Writer on 11/22/07

NEW YORK — George Foreman croons. Jason Giambi lyrically laments. Tiger Woods boogies, not bogeys.

They're all on stage, or at least being parodied on an off-Broadway stage, in "Chuckleball," a hilarious and very up-to-date musical revue that spares just about no one in sports.

The 90-minute musical at the Snapple Theater, which actually is on Broadway in the theater district, is the brainchild of Jason Goldstein and Ian Nemser. It's not their first shot at skewering sports figures, and the latest production has the working title "Jailhouse Jocks."

That hardly limits the four actors (three male, one female) from portraying athletes who walk the straight and narrow, such as Foreman, Woods, David Beckham and Maria Sharapova. But it also lets them needle Giambi, Barry Bonds, Pacman Jones and Isiah Thomas, among others. Many others.

"I like to do comedy that is smart and more sophisticated," says Goldstein, who also produced "Jailhouse Jocks" and its predecessors under the "Chuckleball" heading: "Performance Enhancers," and "There's Always Room for Balco."

"You must have material that does not offend people. These are celebrities, high-profile people. We don't get into the really personal.

"I ask, 'Would they enjoy it if they came and saw it?' "

Goldstein's revues follow the path set by "Forbidden Broadway," which makes fun of Broadway hits and stars and became something of a cult favorite among actors - so much so that they would ask to be parodied in the show.

"I would really love that if the athletes would come see it and say: "I got to get myself roasted."

If Foreman came to the show, he'd probably get more than a chuckle out of seeing his character singing "My Grill" to the Temptations classic "My Girl." And Woods proclaims "I Am Tiger" to Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger," with hilarious results.

There's also a brilliant rendition of "Me and Pacman Jones" that had the entire audience howling with laughter during one presentation.

"We go for the smarter joke," says Goldstein, whose show will run through Dec 30. "We are a pure fun show, but with some sort of commenting on sports and what goes on."

Such as Bonds doing his best Tony Bennett to "I Love to Play in San Francisco."

"It says something: 'The world is changing in terms of sports and people are willing to forgo the rules and take steroids, but San Francisco doesn't care," Goldstein explains.

The four actors - Katey Daniel, Noah DeBiase, Mike Mitchell Jr., and Justin Senense - are not particularly big sports fans. DeBiase says he likes boxing, but rarely watches other sporting events. Senense admits his roles in "Chuckleball" now have him searching the Internet and reading the sports sections.

"Before I went to college and focused on my acting career, I was a basketball fan of the Rockets and Hakeem Olajuwon, way back when," Senense says. "This has made me appreciate sports more, and I'm also gravitating back to watching sports.

"We can also draw on much of the fact that theater and sports are similar. That energy you can use throughout a show is something you also use in sports. They kind of are parallel."

Senense also bears a striking resemblance to Woods, which makes the "I Am Tiger" skit even more entertaining. Mitchell is a dead ringer for Isiah Thomas, whom he portrays in another number.

One challenge is keeping the material current. During a recent performance, one day after Joe Torre signed to manage the Dodgers, Goldstein and Nemser updated the show with a song about him to "California Dreamin'."

It's also critical that the songs be familiar to the audience. Most of them are either Broadway show tunes, Motown or well-known and recent pop hits.

"You have to find songs that have the right tone for the number, but also are popular enough," Goldstein says. "We feel 80 percent of the audience should know the song."

The production itself is minimal, with many of the costumes being team jerseys. Pianist Meg Zervoulis accompanies every skit.

Goldstein hopes to eventually regionalize the show so that a company in each city could concentrate on local teams.

"Sports is such a broad topic, and there's probably another hour's more worth of material we could do in the show," he says. "We could do just a whole show on one team, roast the Red Sox or Celtics in Boston, do the Yankees in New York."

He's not likely to run out of material. The athletes make sure of that with the headlines they keep making.

"Sure," Goldstein says. "That's why we love sports."

'Chuckleball' Performed at Knicks & Jets Games

Wednesday, November 21, 2007; Posted: 11:31 AM - by BWW News Desk

The cast of the sports themed, Chuckleball: Jailhouse Jocks currently playing at the Snapple Theater Center sang the national anthem last night, November 20 at the New York Knicks basketball game. The cast had also performed the "Star Spangled Banner" this past Sunday, November 18 at the New York Jets football game.

Last night's basketball game was the New York Knicks vs the Golden State Warriors at Madison Square Garden at 7:30PM. Sunday's football game was between the New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Meadowlands.

"Chuckleball: Jailhouse Jocks is the sports comedy and parody musical revue currently playing at the Snapple Theater Center. The fast-paced revue is a unique theatrical event consisting of musical numbers that lampoon the headlines and the sidelines. Four actors impersonate dozens of top athletes and there scandalous stories," explain press notes.

The cast includes Katey Daniel, Noah DeBiase, Mike Mitchell Jr. and Justin Senense. It is written and directed by Jason Goldstein and Ian Nemser.

Chuckleball: Jailhouse Jocks plays Mondays at 8PM, Fridays at 8PM, Saturdays at 8PM and Sundays at 7PM. Tickets priced at $45 are on sale through the end of the year and are available at Ticketmaster.com or by calling (212) 307- 4100.

The Snapple Theater Center is located at 1627 Broadway at 50th Street. For more information, visit www.chuckleball.com.

11/17/07 - SportsInnerview With Ann Liguori

from WFAN lands Heyman, Girardi [link] [pdf]
by Neil Best from 11/20/07

'Chuckleball' strikes chord

Speaking of strikes, theatergoers shut out by the stagehands' walkout ought to consider a quirky, "off-Broadway" show that's physically on Broadway, at the Snapple Theater Center at 50th Street.

It's called "Chuckleball," a self-described "sports musical revue."

Translation: A four-person cast sings cleverly written, topical parodies that marry the odd couple of sports and show tunes.

Be advised that the Snapple Center is informal in the extreme - i.e., metal folding chairs - and avid fans will appreciate some jokes more than casual fans.

The show runs through the end of the year at $45 per ticket. (I'm not authorized to print a discount code that cuts it to a more digestible $35, but the producer let me do so in a prestrike, Nov. 4 blog post; dredge it up on Newsday.com!)

For more info, see www.chuckleball.com .

from Torre’s Incentive To Leave The Yankees [link] [pdf]
by Lloyd Carroll on 11/15/2007

Versus, the poor man’s ESPN, has launched a new show on Tuesday nights, “Sports Unfiltered With Dennis Miller,” in which the comic allegedly unleashes his wit on sports targets. I have long been a fan of Miller’s delightfully biting sarcasm but he comes off as stiff and unconvincing reading his lines off the teleprompter. Miller’s targets such as Michael Vick and Ron Artest have been lampooned mercilessly countless times already and he offers little new to create laughs.

A far more clever sports spoof is “Chuckleball” that is playing at the Snapple Theater Center at 50th Street and Broadway. The four-person show is modeled after “Forbidden Broadway” as the cast belts out numbers as “My Grill” (to the tune of the Temptations’ “My Girl”) in honor of George Foreman’s marketing skills, and “Bad Day” with a character portraying Mets pitcher Tom Glavine wistfully singing the lyrics after the Mets’ last game debacle. It is good inexpensive fun.

Rock and Jock [link] [pdf]
by Michael O'Keeffe on 11/11/07

Tony Bennett's "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," is a favorite here at The Score, and we've always wondered how another Bay Area icon would put his imprint on the song.

Now we know, thanks to "Chuckleball: Jailhouse Jocks."

"When I come home to you, San Francisco," Barry Bonds sings in the latest edition of the sports-based musical revue, "my golden pee will shine drug-free."

The off-Broadway production at Times Square's Snapple Theater Center is the latest edition of the Chuckleball franchise, a show that parodies sports the way "Forbidden Broadway" spoofs on theater and "The Capitol Steps" goofs on politics.

"Satire doesn't work if there isn't love and affection behind it," says producer Jason Goldstein. "I like going to a Yankee game as much as I like going to a Broadway show, but people take this stuff so seriously. Anything that self-important is easy to knock off its pedestal."

The world of sports, of course, gives Goldstein and his writing partner Ian Nemser plenty of material to work with. In one scene, an actor posing as Michael Vick contritely swears he's done with dogfighting, but then, with a devilish look in his eyes, breaks into Tom Jones' "What's New Pussycat?" In another scene, an actor dressed as a cop sings "Me and Pacman Jones."

In yet another scene, actors posing as Garden chairman James Dolan and Knicks coach Isiah Thomas discuss Anucha Browne Sanders' physical attributes.

"I hope she sues us," Goldstein joked. "It would keep us on the back page of the Daily News for weeks."

East Brunswick resident is co-writer and director of
off-Broadway parody [link] [pdf]
by Christine Sparta on 11/5/07

Little did Jason Goldstein know that a shared family interest in sports would lead to a career path.

Goldstein, along with Ian Nemser, co-wrote and directed "Chuckleball: Jailhouse Jocks," an off-Broadway musical playing in New York City now through the end of December.

The show parodies the sports world the way "Forbidden Broadway " spoofs theatrical offerings and "The Capitol Steps" skewers Washington.

"There is a connection between performance and sports," Goldstein said. "Sports is an entertainment as well as a competition. Any time you take anything that seriously there has to be some humor in there."

He said that he and Nemser have a requirement when it comes to parodies - that at least 80 percent of the audience needs to be able to identify the tune that is the basis for the musical lampoon.

Goldstein, who lives in East Brunswick, said that "Chuckleball" has gone through other incarnations before this latest "Jailhouse Jocks" version.

When steroid use made headlines, he had a show devoted to it called "Performance Enhancers." But he says that this show is not just for sports fanatics. The humor becomes universal because it taps pop culture through songs that are the basis for the lyrical jabs. For instance, there is a song called "The Curse is Over" about the Red Sox that is set to the tune "The Search is Over" by Survivor.

Goldstein recently received the Rutgers University Federation Meritorious Service Award for his contributions to the school as an alumni. Goldstein holds both undergraduate and graduate degrees from the university and became an active alum in 2002.

As an undergraduate, he started the Livingston Theatre Company, now in its 10th season. He plans to offer an alumni night so fellow graduates can see the show at a discount. The first seeds of "Chuckleball" were sown on campus and a number of people in the show's credits have Rutgers roots as well, including Brad Resnick, his production manager, and Erika Smith, the show's hairdresser, who is mainly in charge of wigs.

Smith, who also works in the wig room at "The Phantom of the Opera," said, "The styles aren't as challenging as finding the wigs to help create the character you want to portray." On stage, actors morph into stars like Victoria and David Beckham.

Her mentor, Leone Gagliardi, a veteran in the business , gave her wigs from his warehouse to use for "Chuckleball." They came from shows like "Saturday Night Fever" and "Miss Saigon."

Smith said that she really is not interested in sports, but still found the show funny.

On the other hand, Nemser, 29, admitted he practically lives for sports.

"I am a huge sports fan," he said, adding that it's not uncommon for him to watch ESPN the way people check out the morning and evening news.

Nemser, who lives in Hollywood, Calif., also catches replayed games throughout the day, and is happy to sit through multiple showings of the same event.

This diehard Yankee fan channeled his devotion for the pinstriped team for a parody in the show set to the tune of the "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," about Joe Torre's departure. A sampling proved it's a bull's eye barb: "Torre, Torre sayonara. Clean your desk out by tomorra."

Both he and Goldstein, who met in high school, listen to the radio with parody writing in mind.

To lampoon Jason Giambi's steroid use, there is "I've Been Working My Way Back From Juice, Babe," a humor-filled variation of "Working My Way Back to You," a song made popular by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

"That song is still in the show, but it's the stupidest line ever," said Nemser. He keeps it in because people always seem to get a laugh from it.

"Chuckleball" mines pop culture - and that is most evident in the tunes the parodies are based on. They draw from a wide range of music, including television theme songs such as "Diff'rent Strokes." The Goldstein/Nemser team transformed that ditty into a number about NBA referees called

"Diff'rent Stripes."

Goldstein doesn't get to watch sports as much as he'd like these days, but has family and friends who act as "informants" and clue him in to topical events tied to grid greats and other athletes.

You might think the "Chuckleball" team would be ripe for lawsuits since they parody material that has made lots of singers millions.

But a 1994 Supreme Court ruling on 2 Live Crew's parody of Roy Orbison's 1964 song "Oh, Pretty Woman" opened up the use of this genre when their take was considered "fair use" according to section 107 of the copyright law.

At the end of the show, they chat informally with patrons to find out if they liked the performances and understood all the jokes in the show. The two will modify bits if they are not funny.

The highest compliment he can get, though, is when someone's face is sore from laughing throughout the show. "That's all I need to hear. That's what we set out to do," Nemser said.

His fantasy is to have all the star athletes who get jabbed in the show to come and see it.

He envisions Yankee Jason Giambi among them. At one point, he pictures Giambi getting up, shrugging his shoulders and asking, "Why me?"

Rutgers Grad Presents Chuckleball [link] [pdf]
By: Nicole Capatasto on 11/1/07

After years of being on the road and being performed at colleges, Chuckleball, a sports musical revue created and produced by Rutgers alum Jason Goldstein, will open off-Broadway this month at New York City's Snapple Theater.

Chuckleball is a "unique theatrical event" in which "four actors impersonate dozens of top athletes, has-beens and soccer moms in about 30 musical numbers," according to press notes.

Chuckleball was conceived in 2003, while Goldstein was pursuing a masters degree at Rutgers soon after his 2002 graduation from Livingston College.

"I first took the show to Joe Mancuso's Theater Appreciation class and did a workshop," said Goldstein, who while at Rutgers founded the Livingston Theatre Company. "It was hastily done but the audience response was phenomenal."

Goldstein, after seeing the response at Rutgers, was hoping to take Chuckleball on the road to universities everywhere, and in the summer of 2005, opened in New York to prepare itself to do so.

"People saw it and began asking us for bookings and we began sending it on the road," Goldstein said.

Goldstein and his collaborators constantly update the material in order to keep up with the changing headlines. The newest version is titled Jailhouse Jocks.

"This year's show is called Jailhouse Jocks because right now there is a lot of criminal stuff going on with sport celebrities," Goldstein said.

He is, of course, referring to recent events in the news such as Michael Vick's dog fighting case and OJ Simpson's Las Vegas robbery.

But it's not just sports fans who will understand and enjoy Chuckleball.

"Things like steroids in baseball, the George Foreman grill, David Beckham - they're household names," Goldstein said. "It's written so you don't really need to know anything about sports to have a good time. If you just kind of half listen to the news or read the last page of the New York Post, you'll know what's going on."

Goldstein continues, "A lot of people get intimidated by the sports thing. They think, I'm not going to like this show because I know nothing about sports … If you're a diehard sports fan you're going to get it on a different level then if you're not. But if you're not a diehard sports fan, you're going to get it on an even different level."

Chuckleball is also aiming to reach college-aged audiences, having been successful at past student orientations at Rutgers, selling out the last 3 years to packed crowds at the Livingston Student Center.

"The show is targeted at a very broad audience but especially college students," Goldstein said. "College students tend to really respond well to it."

Chuckleball is modeled after the long running, largely successful musical revues Forbidden Broadway and Capitol Steps, which are Broadway and political parodies, respectively. But he realizes the merging of sports and theater in to a revue show might strike some as an odd pairing.

"A lot of people think that sports and theater are not a natural match," Goldstein said. "But what's interesting is that sports and theater have gone together for many, many years."

"I think you have to take a chance with this show," Goldstein said. "We're not targeting just your strict theater goer or strict sports fan - but people who like to laugh and have a good time. People like myself, who have just as much fun going to a basketball game as an opera."

Chuckleball: Jailhouse Jocks will run for 10 weeks at the Snapple Theater in Times Square. Tickets are available through Ticket Master or at the Snapple Theater box office. Student Rush tickets, priced at $25 each, are available the day of the performance with a valid student ID.

Photo Flash: 'Chuckleball: Jailhouse Jocks' Sports Revue

10/29/07 - Broadway World Story

Monday, October 29, 2007; Posted: 10:20 AM - by BWW

Chuckleball, the sports musical revue brings its newest version, Jailhouse Jocks, to the Snapple Theater Center; performances began October 24.

Initially inspired by Forbidden Broadway and The Capitol Steps, producer Jason Goldstein experimented with a parody musical revue targeted to sports fans that played quietly in New York City for five weeks in the summer of 2004. The show then spawned two other versions: Performance Enhancers (2005), and last season's, There's Always Room For Balco (2006). These productions have played theaters, colleges, and corporate convention dates around the country.

The fast-paced revue is a unique theatrical event consisting of musical numbers that lampoon the headlines and the sidelines. Four actors impersonate dozens of top athletes, has-beens, and soccer moms in about thirty musical numbers.

The cast includes Katey Daniel, Noah DeBiase, Mike Mitchell Jr. and Justin Senense. It is written and directed by Jason Goldstein and Ian Nemser.

Chuckleball: Jailhouse Jocks plays Mondays at 8PM, Fridays at 8PM, Saturdays at 8PM and Sundays at 7PM. Tickets priced at $45 are on sale through the end of the year and are available at Ticketmaster.com or by calling (212) 307- 4100. The Snapple Theater Center is located at 1627 Broadway at 50th Street. For more information, visit www.chuckleball.com

Be A Sport: Chuckleball: Jailhouse Jocks Opens Off-Broadway Oct. 26 [link] [pdf]
by Ernio Hernandez on 10/26/07

Chuckleball: Jailhouse Jocks, a sports-themed musical revue, officially opens at Off-Broadway's Snapple Theater Center Oct. 26.

The production began its limited engagement Oct. 24 in the Snapple's Studio Theatre space. The revuew will play through Dec. 30 at the midtown Manhattan venue, which is also currently home to The Fantasticks and Perfect Crime.

Billed as a "sports comedy and parody musical revue... in the style of the long-running Forbidden Broadway and The Capitol Steps," Chuckleball "lampoons the foibles, fumbles and felonies of today's sports headlines: O.J. Simpson's sports memorabilia caper, Michael Vick's dog-fighting fiasco and Isaiah Thomas' sexual harassment hullabaloo are just a few of the stories that receive a parody pounding in this face-paced romp from the locker room to the court room," according to show materials.

The cast features Katey Daniel, Noah DeBiase, Mike Mitchell Jr. and Justin Senense.

Jason Goldstein (who also produces) and Ian Nemser co-direct and wrote the stage show. Meg Zervoulis is musical director. Brad Resnick serves as production manager.

Chuckleball last played in New York at The Producer's Club Theatre in 2004. The work has since been seen in other incarnations — including Chuckleball: Performance Enhancers, Chuckleball: I Keep Working My Way Back From Juice and Chuckleball: There's Always Room For Balco — across the country.

The approximately 95-minute show plays Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 7 PM. Additional performances include Oct. 24 at 2 PM and Oct. 25 at 8 PM.

Tickets to Chuckleball: Jailhouse Jocks at the Snapple Theater Center, 210 West 50th Street (at Broadway), are available by calling (212) 921-7862. For more information visit chuckleball.com.