The Play-by-Play of the Play

The Play-by-Play

of the Play

Toni Stone follows the story of pioneering baseball player Marcenia “Toni” Stone, the first woman to play in the Negro Leagues. Toni narrates her story for the audience through a series of vignettes from her life, from her childhood to the dugout to the team bus to her eventual home. Toni provides commentary as the audience follows her quest to become a permanent member of a team instead of a substitute player and her final placement as a member of the Indianapolis Clowns.

Toni also takes the audience into her personal life as she develops a relationship with a man many years her senior, Alberga, who later becomes her husband. Her close and only female friend, Millie, a prostitute, also plays a vital role in Toni’s story after their meeting when the team stops to stay at her place of employment for a night.

The play addresses the sexism Toni faces trying to be taken seriously as an athlete and the racism the entire team faces as members of the Negro League. Toni also struggles with her interpersonal relationships throughout the play, with the conflict coming to a head when her husband tries to take control of her playing career. Toni is a strong and independent person and will not let her story end without a mitt on her hand and a ball in her glove.

Production photo from 2019 Roundabout Theater Company production. Photo Credit: New York Times.

April Matthis as Toni Stone in the Roundabout Theater 2019 Production. Photo Credit: New York Times.