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• Watching the Northsiders fail in theater

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Bleacher Bums in action.

A Jay Leno joke goes like this: “Medical research has discovered that an average person cries just over 12,000 liters of tears in a lifetime. But, it’s twice that if you’re a Cubs fan.”

OK, not a great joke, but it makes a point known all over the world that follows American baseball; the Chicago Cubs have been struggling for a championship for a century and their loyal fans are frustrated.

It is such a struggle that can be great material for theater or film. So far the movies have dropped the ball, but in 1977 a group of Chicago actors, led by Joe Mantegna, Dennis Franz , Richard Fire, and others wrote the ultimate Cubs stage tribute, Bleacher Bums. Set in the bleachers at Wrigley Field, you follow a diverse group of regulars through a nine-inning play, with a seventh-inning stretch for an intermission. The opposition is the hated and feared St. Louis Cardinals and all of the action is transmitted through this group of fans. You never see a player in uniform.

Bleacher Bums was an immediate hit, and over the years it has been fine-tuned with new material to match the latest frustrations of those incredibly loyal fans who keep hoping that this is the year. Locally, Urbana High School and The Station Theater have staged it, and in 2002 there was a film version that defies description — despite a good cast and the use of Wrigley Field, the home team is called the Chicago Bruins! It made no money on its release and Leonard Maltin has yet to list it in his Movie Guide. As a former bleacher bum, I consider this film a sacrilege.

If this play does not work as a film, then give us the play again. Arlington Heights’ Metropolis Performing Arts Centre is doing just that until September 6.

This faithful and well-directed production takes us back to the 1977 script with the Wrigley Field bleacher crowd getting their full exposure. It is funny, at times touching, and ultimately tragically realistic as those lovable Northsiders blow another game in two hours of theater. Director John Hildreth keeps the pace of the fan-narrated game very brisk. His excellent ensemble is as funny as they are unique.

Here you have the ultimate Wrigley Field collection: the sun worshiper, the gambler (who always bets against the Cubs), the super fan, and even a dedicated die-hard named Greg, who is blind. He is the most interesting character in the play as the blind, radio attached, play-by-play fanatic who knows everything about the Cubs. Craig Dingle brings this fascinating super-fan a new depth and darn near steals the show.

But, the real show-stealers are always off stage. The Chicago Cubs are a presence so powerful in the lore of the Midwest, they don’t even need to be on stage, and that is the magic of Bleacher Bums. It captures a tradition of devotion and discontent that is unique to this franchise. Through the eyes of these long suffering and fascinated fans we relive a century of frustration in just two hours. That is the magic of theater.

Check the Metropolis web site at: www.metropolisarts.com, or the box office at: 847-577-2121 for show dates as this wonderful experience does not perform every day.