Theater reviewer Mike Logothetis grew up in North Wilmington, performing in school and local theater productions. He lives in Newark, but you can find him wherever the arts are good.
Delaware Theatre Company (DTC) opens its 2025-2026 season with
the World Premiere of Spinner by Ray Didinger – the local Hall of Fame
sportswriter and radio legend. The play shares the true story of former NHL
player Brian “Spinner” Spencer and the trauma that engulfed him after his NHL debut
for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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| Spinner by Ray Didinger, premiering at Delaware Theatre Company. Photo by Matt Urban, NuPOINT Marketing |
made headlines across North America. I was assigned to follow up on the story, and that’s how I met Brian Spencer.”
Brian and his twin brother Byron Spencer (Sean Lally) are being
raised hockey players in tiny Fort Saint James, British Columbia. Their father
Roy (Scott Greer) is adamant that at last one of his sons is going to play his
way out of town and into the NHL. His practical wife Irene (Karen Peakes)
disagrees, reminding Roy that he moved them there to start a family and build a
better life.
While Byron drops hockey and focuses on his future, “Rink
Rat” Brian loves every minute of being on the ice. Roy is driven by his dream
and is confident Brian is NHL material. He works multiple jobs to provide his
hockey prodigy with everything he could need…to play hockey, not progress with
real life. Brian’s schoolwork suffers, breaking his former schoolteacher
mother’s heart. But scouts take notice and Brian feels he’s on the true path to
success.
All of this – and the fateful night – are depicted in a
non-linear timeline. The audience can sense the stresses of singularly striving
towards a goal plus growing familial fractures caused by the desire. While
choppy at times, the cuts back and forth in time help develop both the
characters and the plot.
When new father Byron confronts his father and asserts,
“It’s a goddamn game,” Roy doesn’t see it that way. Roy is quick to anger and
his presence is foreboding. He’s not malicious, but he funnels so much of his
energy into getting Brian to the ranks of professional hockey that he loses
sight of what may be most important in his life. Greer does an exceptional job
getting the audience to root for his vision while simultaneously realizing his methods
are smothering. He’s close to the edge and it’s anyone’s guess to what might
set him off.
It turns out, 1970s Canadian broadcasting rights are the
trigger and Roy heads to local CBC affiliate CKPG to fix what he feels is a
personal slight – TV won’t be airing Brian’s NHL debut in his hometown.
Receptionist Carol (Genevieve Perrier) and engineer Stu (Dave Johnson) try to
placate Roy with the (true) explanation that the broadcast feed is out of their
control. They are powerless to help him. He is powerless to help himself. It
descends further into tragedy from there.
All of this happens on a cool outdoorsy set by Scenic
Designer Parris Bradley. Bradley has split logs and tree stumps dominating the
stage along with CRT TV screens. Lighting Designer Shannon Zura and Projection
Designer Colin J. Sass amplify this (and more) with excellent effects which
provide accompaniment to the story. Director Matt Silva keeps the pacing fairly
tight, adding to the tension. The cast is rounded out by Charlie DelMarcelle,
who plays Roy’s levelheaded friend Harry.
“Since its first reading last September, it has been a joy
to watch Spinner take shape,” remarks Artistic Director Mimi Warnick. “Ray has
carried this story close to his heart throughout his remarkable career, and it
is an honor to see it premiere on the DTC stage and kick off our 46th season.”
Spinner reflects on the risks, rewards, and regrets
we all face when chasing something bigger than ourselves. It’s a powerful tale
of sacrifice, family, and the lengths we’ll go to make our dreams a
reality…even when the cost is too high. At the Talkback I attended, playwright Didinger
explained that the story is about “the price to pay to fulfill [your] dreams.”
The Spencer family certainly – and heartbreakingly – did that.
Didinger was the first print journalist inducted into the
Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. As a columnist for the Philadelphia Bulletin
and Philadelphia Daily News, he was named Pennsylvania Sportswriter of the Year
five times. In 1995, he won the Bill Nunn Award for long and distinguished
reporting on pro football and his name was added to the writers’ honor roll at
the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Didinger also won six Emmy
Awards for his work as a writer and producer for NFL Films. He has authored or
co-authored a dozen books on professional football. His play, Tommy and Me,
about his friendship with Eagles Hall of Famer Tommy McDonald, has been
performed in area theaters since 2016. (DTC featured the show in 2021.) He can
be heard talking football on 94WIP Sports Radio and NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Tickets start at $34 and discounts are available. The one-act show is roughly 75 minutes long. Join DTC for Viewpoints every Wednesday starting 45 minutes before the start of the show. There will be Talkbacks after several performances with Didinger and featuring writers, radio personalities, former athletes, and more. Visit www.delawaretheatre.org/spinner for the schedule of Talkback participants. Call 302.594.1100 or visit www.delawaretheatre.org to purchase tickets or for performance information. Delaware Theatre Company is located at 200 Water Street in Wilmington.
Reveiwer aside: I was lucky enough to have Hockey Hall of Fame
goalkeeper Bernie Parent sit behind me at the performance. He was welcoming and
gregarious. He also flashed me his two Stanley Cup rings while sporting a
massive grin. On stage for Talkback, he was honest and funny.
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