The problem with sports tales “based on fact” or “inspired by true events” is simple: They can’t serve two masters. Sports fans demand accuracy and attention to detail — but adhering too closely to reality means forfeiting the drama that makes these stories accessible in the first place.
So the real victory of “Lombardi,” which opened last night at Circle in the Square, is this: Football fans reared on NFL highlights of the legendary Green Bay Packers coach will leave the play fulfilled, while those who don’t know Vince Lombardi from Carole Lombard will also be pleased.
The play, adapted by Eric Simonson from David Maraniss’ epic 1999 Lombardi bio, “When Pride Still Mattered,” would be compelling enough. But in the hands of director Thomas Kail (“In the Heights”), what we get is a fascinating full accounting not only of Lombardi’s great gifts but his flaws and foibles.
ELISABETH VINCENTELLI ON ‘LOMBARDI’: SHORT OF A TOUCHDOWN
An engaging supporting cast helps us understand why Lombardi’s players revered rather than feared a man who spent so much of his time (and theirs) screaming at them. As the play points out, Lombardi may never have actually said, “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing,” but through Kail’s efforts to breathe fresh life into Lombardi’s spirit, we understand why that credo came to define him.
Keith Nobbs is terrific playing a composite of the sports journalists who tried — and failed — to capture Lombardi’s essence when he was alive, as are Bill Dawes (Paul Hornung), Robert Christopher Riley (Dave Robinson) and Chris Sullivan (Jim Taylor), as the talented players whose toil helped create the Lombardi legacy.
Judith Light has the play’s most challenging role as Marie, Lombardi’s loyal but long-suffering wife who bristles at living in both remote Green Bay and her husband’s considerable shadow. Light’s charming portrayal allows her to steal every scene she’s in and provides much of the show’s laughter.
Still, a play named “Lombardi” will rise or crash based on the man in the title role, and Dan Lauria is triumphant. It would be easy for him to go with a straight impersonation, but simply reciting Lombardi’s Greatest Hits would’ve come off like a bad Springsteen tribute band.
Rather, Lauria inhabits Lombardi. He yells, yes, but he also forces us to understand Lombardi the way his players did, and we’re invested enough so that, when the journalist tells us of the coach’s death, the audience reaction is audible.
Even if you never cared about Lombardi, you’ll enjoy “Lombardi.” And that really is everything.
Mike Vaccaro, The Post’s lead sports columnist, has covered 11 Super Bowls.