Magic/Bird on Broadway (and a little side-trip to Boston)

Tony Ponturo and Fran Kirmser, the producers of Magic/Bird on Broadway, along with the basketball faithful of Comcast Sportsnet NE will host a special Boston-based evening of reminiscing about the on-court and off-court impact made by Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Larry Bird.  The invitation-only event will serve as a tiny peek into the development of the play to open on Broadway/NYC this coming spring (2012).

Playbill.com recently ran this update of the play with comments from the producers:

Producers Fran Kirmser and Tony Ponturo are shooting for their production of Eric Simonson's basketball play, Magic/Bird, to have a March 21, 2012, Broadway opening following a Feb. 27 first preview.
A theatre is yet to be announced for the open-ended run of the six-actor, 95-minute play about the professional rivalry and friendship between basketball stars Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Larry Bird. Producer Ponturo told Playbill.com on Oct. 31 that casting is ongoing for the title roles, and four other performers.
Kirmser and Ponturo were behind the NFL-minded play Lombardi, about Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi, seen on Broadway in 2010-11.
"We're very much in the middle of casting," Ponturo said. "Like every producer, you like to look for talent that has a reputation…in the theatre business. These will be names that people will recognize."

 The announcement of the play has created some "showtime-type buzz" in New York, Boston and LA as the casting and background work is gradually accomplished by the creative team.  And, unlike the proximity of the frozen tundra of Green Bay, Wisconsin's Lambeau Field to the lights of the Great White Way, the New England faithful are a short car, bus or Amtrak away from Manhattan and the ability to re-live some of the best memories of the classic rivalry between Magic & Bird and the Lakers & Celtics.