It is a one-man show, but the one man is filled with more than enough hatred, anger and bitterness to fill the room.
Such is the life of "The Philly Fan."
Written by Bruce Graham and performed brilliantly by Tom McCarthy, "The Philly Fan" is a comedic 70-minute profanity-filled rant that knows no boundaries.
McCarthy plays a 60-something sports fan born and raised in Philadelphia who personifies the city's thirst for a championship. He relives his very few bright moments as a Philadelphia sports fan.
But if you know anything about the city's sports, you know that the successes of the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers and Sixers cannot fill a 70-minute show.
So McCarthy takes his shots at the players.
And the owners.
And the facilities.
Even the fans.
As if there were not enough material in these rants -- and trust me, there is -- McCarthy takes shots at more than two racial groups, a religion, Southern folks, Canadians and "cell-phone people."
The premise of the show is simple -- a joke even. An old, bitter Philly fan and a young, warmer Dallas native walk into a bar; eventually the two start chatting, despite the fact that one is from the hated Cowboys' home town. And while the audience only sees one side of the conversation, nothing is lost.
McCarthy talks about his days growing up with his best buddy "Mook" at the long-gone Connie Mack Stadium on 21st Street and Lehigh Avenue and even at Franklin Field, where he and Mook saw the Eagles defeat Vince Lombardi's Packers in 1960 to win what is still their most recent NFL Championship.
Along the way, he mentions the Phillies' collapse in 1964 and the rat-infested conditions of their Veterans Stadium. The show concludes with this year's Super Bowl -- enough said.
The play drew plenty of laughs from the rather sparse crowd at the Arden Theatre on North Second Street. But you knew who the true Philly fans were by picking out those who laughed at the more subtle jabs.
The show was amusing, which created its only problem -- it was just too short. I didn't mind not seeing the friendly Texan or Mook, but I would have liked to have been in my seat for more than just an hour and change.
Despite the show's short length, McCarthy's performance and Joe Conklin's nearly flawless impersonations of announcers Harry Kalas and Merrill Reese, make the show worthwhile if you are a Philly fan and can afford the $18-25 for the hour of entertainment.
Just a warning though: one hour with McCarthy will contain enough rage and bitterness to last for days.
On The Scene features a first-person account of a city destination. It appears on Tuesdays.
