Magic/Bird

This article is about the Broadway play. For the Dutch airline company, see Magic Bird.

Magic/Bird is a play by Eric Simonson about basketball stars Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers and Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics, their rise from college basketball to the NBA and super stardom, and eventually the Olympic Dream Team, their team and personal rivalries and ultimately their long-running friendship.^[1] The play premiered on Broadway in 2012.

Production

Preview performances of Magic/Bird (stylized sometimes as Magic-Bird and Magic Bird) began on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre on March 21, 2012, with an official opening on April 11, 2012.^[2][3] Kevin Daniels starred as Magic Johnson and Tug Coker as Larry Bird. The production has the support of the National Basketball Association and the participation of Bird and Johnson. The cast features, in multiple roles, Deirdre O'Connell (Georgia Bird/Shelly/Patricia Moore), Peter Scolari (Red Auerbach/Jerry Buss/Pat Riley), Rob Ray Manning Jr. (Michael Cooper/Henry Alvarado/Frank) and Francois Battiste (Jon Lennox/Ron Baxter/Willy).

Personnel

• Producers: Fran Kirmser and Tony Ponturo
• Set: David Korins
• Lighting: Howell Binkley
• Costumes: Paul Tazwell
• Sound: Nevin Steinberg
• Projections: Wendall K. Harrington

The play closed on May 12, 2012, after 38 performances and 23 previews.^[4]

Plot overview

According to the producers: "At the heart of one of the fiercest rivalries in sports, two of the greatest athletes of all-time battled for multiple championships and the future of their sport...Johnson and Bird, went head to head, electrified the nation, reinvigorated the NBA, and turned their rivalry into the greatest and most famous friendships in professional sports. With classic NBA footage prominently designed throughout, Magic/Bird transports the audience into the heart of their matchup."^[5]

See also

• Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals