PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

"...he delivers a monologue that is both a rant against Philadelphia sports incompetence and a fond savoring of the too-few times the city's teams have come out on top."

"Those who follow sports, and probably those who don't, will delight in this show, written with humor and insight by Bruce Graham and acted by a bluff, outspokenly funny Tom McCarthy."

"Graham's words and McCarthy's performance evoke with strike-zone accuracy the working-class spirit that animates the popular image of the Philadelphia sports die-hard McCarthy embodies."

'Philly Fan' sets the stage for venting
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

"...But help is at last at hand for the battered psyches of those for whom the daily sports section is a read-it-and-weep proposition. Actor Tom McCarthy, playwright Bruce Graham, and director Joe Canuso have joined forces for The Philly Fan, a piece that promises to be one of the most amusing nights of theatrical therapy."

Play Highlights "Philly Fan" Frustrations
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Sept. 17, 2004

"The show doesn't leave out the rare glory years, flashing black-and-white screen images of Flyers icon Kate Smith singing the National Anthem during their Stanley Cup era (1974 and 1975); the 76ers' Julius Erving floating in for a layup; and the Phils' 1980 championship team, which featured Pete Rose, Tug McGraw, Mike Schmidt and current manager Larry Bowa."

"McCarthy's character, a profane widowed union man called only "the Fan," recounts for his unseen bar mate how he had to leave that perfect game early when his hot dog-laden son threw up on a nun. Like a loyal sports-radio caller, the Fan rants about the city's long championship drought, team owners such as Jeff Lurie and Norman Braman, and the public's $400 million-plus bill for the city's two new sports stadiums."

NORTHEAST TIMES

"Bruce Graham wrote The Philly Fan. The production has received a thumbs-up from sports fans like Big Daddy Graham (no relation), one of the personalities on WIP sports radio. But the piece goes beyond sports to a character study of a blue-collar guy," Graham said. This isn't a caricature. You really feel you know who he is by the end of it."

In The Philly Fan, McCarthy rips team owners and explores Philadelphia sports fans’ penchant for booing. The central themes are the lack of championships and, at this point, the fans’ 21-year wait for another victory parade in the city. “How long does he have to say, ‘Wait till next year’?” McCarthy said of your average frustrated Philadelphia sports fan."

Pre show article / interview
Rooting For the Home Team
CITY PAPER

The Fan is an identifiable character in these parts, a little bit sports-radio caller, a little bit curmudgeonly Archie Bunker-type. (Or maybe that's just because, as he's been told so many times, McCarthy bears some resemblance to Carroll O'Connor.) Of course, some of what The Fan says would never be heard on radio or TV.

"Bruce Graham is the David Mamet of Philadelphia," laughs McCarthy. "He curses real good." The actor's not too bad at dropping the F-bomb himself.

They — along with director Joe Canuso — went out of their way not to have sports fans in the audience when they previewed the piece at a cold reading. They wanted to gauge their play's appeal beyond the realm of sport. (They've got that covered: WIP host Big Daddy Graham's already given the show his stamp of approval.)

"I knew I didn't want to talk about stats, games and scores," says McCarthy. "Bruce brought a full character to the piece. It's a lot better than just a sports freak. People get bored of that after 15 minutes. You never know where the hell he's going and you don't know what the hell he's gonna talk about."