MARSHFIELD –Even though Vince Lombardi has passed on, his spirit and motivation hasn’t.  The new Spotlight Series is proud to present actor/playwright John Pinero’s one-man portrayal of “Vince:  The Life & Times of Vince Lombardi,” at UW-Marshfield/Wood County, 2000 W. 5^th St.

This nostalgic evening kicks off at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, with a Tailgate Party featuring traditional Wisconsin fare including brats, beer, beans and more.  Tickets for “Vince:  The Life & Times of Vince Lombardi” and the gate party are $20; $15 for the performance only.  (The tailgate party price is only $5).

The tailgate party will be held outdoors if the weather is nice, or indoors in the Campus Commons if it’s inclement.  The performance, sponsored by the Laird Endowment Fund for the Arts and the Marshfield Clinic, will be held in the Helen Laird Theatre, Helen Connor Laird Fine Arts Building

John Pinero brings Vince Lombardi back to life with the hat, overcoat and the tooth-gapped smile.  He brings the temper of a lion one minute and the tender concern the next.

“I was struck the very first time I saw it (Pinero’s performance),” said Willie Davis, former Packer great who has seen this play at least three times.  “It was clear to me that someone, in researching it, had spent a lot of time and indeed had uncovered a lot of what Coach Lombardi was like.”  

Pinero’s portrayal of Coach Lombardi has been endorsed by other players including Jerry Kramer and Ray Nitschke, the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame.

Director Richard Clayman has guided Pinero’s effort and added the structure and humor to this glorious tour through Lombardi’s life with stops along the way to meet a bevy of characters who played an integral part in his legendary status journey: his father, mother, priest, brother, son, wife, Bart Starr, Paul Hornung, Max McGee and a host of others.  And he plays them all.  Pinero has read every book by any player who ever played for Lombardi and the result is a richly textured performance.

Tickets for “Vince:  The Life & Times of Vince Lombardi” and tailgate party are $20.  The Campus Box Office is open 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and one hour before performances.  To order tickets, call 715-389-6534.  VISA, MasterCard and Discover are accepted.

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