In Milwaukee Repertory Theater's 'Toni Stone,' a Black woman finds herself while playing baseball

Toni Stone was smart and lucky enough early in life to figure out what she wanted to do: Play baseball.

However, she was born Black and female in segregated America, which piled up obstacles in her path. But Stone persisted until she became the first woman to play a regular role on a major-league professional team, the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League.

Milwaukee Repertory Theater opened a kinetic production of Lydia R. Diamond's play "Toni Stone" this past weekend, directed by Tinashe Kajese-Bolden. (I saw Sunday's performance.)

It's an unusual sports drama in several respects, with a stronger focus on personality and cultural conflict than game results and individual achievements. Baseball geeks will find details to love, but casual fans of America's pastime will have no trouble following and enjoying this show.

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At the center of it all, moving backward and forward in time, is Kedren Spencer as Stone. Early on, she says people see her on the field as a 12-year-old boy; in many ways Spencer's Stone acts like a 12-year-old boy, obsessed with baseball, talking compulsively, optimistic and naive. As Diamond writes her, she's also literal-minded, needing jokes and innuendos explained to her, and has no filter, suggesting she may be on the autism spectrum.

The eight Black men who play her teammates, including Milwaukee actor Dimonte Henning, also portray the other Black and white people in her life.

After making her name as a substitute, Stone gets a contract in 1953 with the Clowns, whose white owner needs another attraction after young phenom Hank Aaron was signed by the Boston Braves and sent to the Eau Claire Bears for his first minor-league season. But Stone grudgingly has to accept that in this entertainment-driven league, pitches will occasionally be grooved for her, to keep fan interest (and ticket revenue) high.

Her teammates are memorable characters, including Spec (Geoffrey D. Williams), the assertive bookworm who quotes Harriet Tubman and W.E.B. Du Bois; and Woody (Henning), bitter that Jackie Robinson received the big callup that he wanted. Woody often goads Stone; their climactic confrontation is the play's most painful scene.

Whether simulating game play or running from angry white fans, the Clowns rarely stop moving; Dell Howlett choreographed their graceful steps. There's plenty of banter and camaraderie, but Stone often misunderstands teammates, which leads to confusion and resentment. She is so consumed by baseball she has trouble understanding the men around her, who have other things on their minds.

"Toni Stone" is also a coming-of-age play. She has two guides who gently help her become an adult woman as well as a ballplayer: Alberga (Sekou Laidlow), the older man who patiently courts her; and Millie (Enoch A. King), the prostitute who is her first female friend. King's scenes with Spencer are my favorite moments in this production, brimming with warmth, humor and sometimes irony, when we understand what Stone doesn't.

"Toni Stone" is a co-production with Alliance Theatre of Atlanta, where this cast will perform in February.

Contact Jim Higgins at jim.higgins@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jhiggy.

If you go

Milwaukee Repertory Theater performs "Toni Stone" through Jan. 30 at the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater, 108 E. Wells St. For tickets, visit milwaukeerep.com or call (414) 224-9490. Proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test required. Masks required.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: In Milwaukee Rep's 'Toni Stone,' a woman finds herself while playing baseball