Saturday, November 15, 2003

By Anna Rosenstein

A Steelers Sunday is one of the safest times to be on the road in Pittsburgh. There aren't many cars around. Grocery stores are almost line-free. Sometimes the game's even on. If it's not, you can't walk 20 feet without hearing "What's the score?"

Apparently, though, we weren't always a city of Steelers fans, which you learn at "The Chief," a one-man show about Art Rooney Sr. co-written by Rob Zellers and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Gene Collier.

	Tom Atkins stars as Art Rooney Sr. in Pittsburgh Public Theater's "The Chief." (Suellen Fitzsimmons) Click photo for larger image.

That's one of the wonderful things about "The Chief": It's filled with truly fascinating information that will either stimulate fond memories or, for the very young and/or nonfootball fans, will teach interesting facts about the city, its football team and the man who made it impossible to think of one without the other. Did you know the Steelers were once called the Pirates? Or that before he hired Chuck Noll, Rooney tried to get Joe Paterno to coach the team? Did you know Rooney, who used to play baseball, really wanted to own a baseball team?

I'll admit that, without benefit of an extensive knowledge of football lore, I'm taking a lot of what's presented in "The Chief" at face value. That's something else that's gratifying about the script: It's a credit to Zellers and Collier that every story plays like fact.

What the playwrights have done is bring Rooney to life on a night when he's supposed to receive an award from the Knights of Columbus. They've written more of a conversation than a monologue, with Rooney addressing the audience, inviting them to share in the many memorable moments that led to this one. If you had a beer in your hand, it would be like drinking with an old buddy or a colorful stranger who quickly feels familiar.

	'The Chief' Where: Pittsburgh Public Theater at O'Reilly Theater, 621 Penn Ave., Downtown. When: 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 14 ( some exceptions). Tickets: $12.25 to $53.25; 412-316-1600.

In an office filled with football memorabilia, designed by Anne Mundell to be comfortable but to indicate a man who didn't waste time fretting over style, Tom Atkins takes Zellers' and Collier's stories and turns them into memories. A bridge strung out in deco lights serves as a backdrop, for the stage and for the old Pittsburgh that Atkins gradually paints for the audience.

I didn't know Rooney, but the audience consensus seemed to be that Atkins, with black glasses and cigar in hand, comes as close to Rooney as anyone could. What I do know for certain is that he creates a wholly consistent, engaging character. Atkins' Rooney has an easy, friendly manner, but he's rough around the edges in a way that suggests a man who could be more refined if he wanted to but wouldn't want to. He's smart but doesn't think everyone needs to know it.

It's a testament to Atkins' skill as an actor that he delivered such a forceful performance despite uncharacteristic difficulties with the text on Thursday night. In a true actor's nightmare, Atkins lost his place and for several uncomfortable minutes was unable to get back on track. Amazingly, his posture and intonation remained Rooney's and, with the audience completely on his side, brought everyone back into Rooney's world.

Atkins shows a great deal of the inner man through stories about Rooney's family, especially his wife and sons. For such a "guy play," there are quite a few gushy moments in "The Chief," if one can get gushy over the Immaculate Reception (and most Pittsburghers can and do).

In the end, it's not really about football. It's about having heart. Rooney does. Atkins does. Pittsburgh does. So, too, does "The Chief."

Anna Rosenstein is a freelance critic for the Post-Gazette.

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