GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – The newest play coming to the Weidner Center focuses not just simply on what made Vince Lombardi a great football coach, but also a great man.
The play, simply titled “Lombardi,” debuted on Broadway nine years ago and will start its sixteen-day run in the Weidner Center’s Fort Howard Hall on Friday.
“It’s very much about Vince Lombardi and his relationship with his wife and his players,” says Karin Simonson Kopischke, costume designer for the production.
Eric Simonson, Kopischke’s brother, wrote the play, which starting in 2010 had a seven-month run on Broadway. The script for the play is based on the David Maraniss book, “When Pride Still Mattered.”
“Eric Simonson did a great job of writing about it,” says Greg Vinkler, director of the Weidner Center’s show. “There is a lot of heart in it, a lot of humor and a chance to see Vince close up in a way that most people would not.”
“Lombardi” is set in 1965 and features six actors. Dave Robinson, Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor have parts, while the leading man is Neil Friedman.
According to him, Vince is a complex individual to portray.
“The temper and the genius behind him and trying to figure out how it got there and who he really is, that is the challenge,” said Friedman.
For Vinker, he makes for a dynamic central figure to feature.
“They have a chance to see the man and what drove him to be the way he is,” he explains.
The script is the same as the Broadway show, but everything else is a unique take by the Weidner Center. This is also the first time the Weidner Center has produced its own play.
Tickets cost $42.75 a piece and are still available.
And if you have a visiting Bears or Vikings fan in town, they’ll enjoy the show too.
“If you’re a Packer fan, you’re going to love it and if you’re not a Packer fan, you’re still going to love it because it’s really interesting people,” says Kopischke.
