‘Shamrock’ scribe tells father’s tale, warts and alL

Print PDF

[media-credit name="Photo by Chris Cassidy" align="aligncenter" width="600"][/media-credit]

John Duddy (standing), with referee Wayne Kelly counting over actor Nick Roman.

Boxing bio has cast of accomplished athletes

BY SCOTT STIFFLER   |  Only on YouTube — or ringside in Vegas or possible at a charity event — will you find a more impressively credentialed roster of boxing legends in the same room. What makes this event different is the fact that the athletes in question happen to be on the stage and working behind the scenes. “Kid Shamrock” is playwright/sportswriter Bobby Cassidy Jr.’s telling of middleweight contender “Irish” Bobby Cassidy’s epic battles of defeat and triumph — in the ring, and with the bottle.

London-born, Queens-raised former WBO world heavyweight champion Michael Bentt (who turned in a dynamic performance as Sonny Liston in the film “Ali”) makes his directorial debut. Veteran actors Vinny Vella (“Casino”) and Patrick Joseph Connolly (“The Sopranos”) are joined by a cast of accomplished boxers — including Olympic gold medallist Mark Breland, Ireland’s John Duddy, Wayne Kelly, Seamus McDonagh and Bobby Cassidy himself. Actors and boxers both train long and hard so they can tap into that moment of charismatic excellence when the bell rings or the curtain rises — so the collective intensity on display here should be well worth the time of theater geeks and sports fans alike.

Fri., Nov. 25 through Mon., Dec. 4. At the TADA Theater (15 W. 28th St., btw. Broadway & Fifth Ave.; handicapped accessible). For tickets ($40), visit bronwpapertickets.com or call 800-838-3006. For more info on the play, email kidshamrockplay@gmail.com. For Twitter: @KidShamrockplay. For Facebook: Facebook.com/KidShamrock.