From Bleacher Bums to Rookie of the Year, and from “A Dying Cubs Fan’s Last Request” to “Go All the Way,” the Chicago Cubs inspire art like no other team in baseball, and perhaps all of professional sports. Tonight I got still another example of this, in the form of an unexpected but completely funny and truthful musical number in the second act of “A Christmas Wish” a play being staged in Chicago by Quest Theater Ensemble.
Quest shows are always creative and inventive and the result of people who want to bring theater to as many people as they can. Their shows are tucked away in St. Gregory’s school in Chicago, located along Ashland Avenue just about two miles from Wrigley Field. Anyone in Chicago who has ever seen a Quest show knows how good they are. But for the rest of humanity, it’s a jewel waiting to be discovered.
The number I’m referring to is in the second act and it came from–if you’ll pardon the expression–out of left field. If the number was to be performed anywhere else but on Chicago’s North side, it might not work as well. But here in Cubs country, we know what the song means. And for that matter, we understand how crazy it is for a baseball team to play for so many years without ever winning. The number works, and it makes an otherwise enjoyable show to be that much more worthwhile.
The show runs through December 22, and it’s well worth a few hours of anyone’s time, especially for long-suffering Cubs fans like me.
Blue Batting Helmet 