A slumpbuster is an unattractive man or woman who an athlete sleeps with to get out of a slump”, so we are told on the cover of the program for the show of the same name now playing at the Asylum Lab. I like the definition of terms right off the bat. Speaking of bat, the slumping athlete is one Jake, star baseball player for the Chicago Cubs, whose bat has been colder than a snowball. Jake hangs out in a Chicago bar called Dunleavy’s with fellow players Rey and Doc, where they meet three women, Molly, Margaret (who are sisters), and Darlene. Molly has just broken up with her fiancé, Margaret is married, and Darlene is single.

Rey and Doc peg Molly as Jake’s potential slumpbuster and push him into making a move. Molly goes for Jake in a big way and visa versa and they get a relationship going. She of course, doesn’t know she was pegged as a slumpbuster but she does the trick. Jake starts hitting and the Cubs are headed for the World Series. But then, the beans get spilled one night; Molly finds out she was slumpbuster material and her fragile ego takes a beating. Jake must make it up to his newly found love and good luck charm or the World Series could be lost.

This is the gist of author Robert Potter’s world premiere comedy. Good beat to beat writing and an excellent cast raise the work several notches above the sit-com it could have been. Teresa Reilly is a delight as Molly and Jeff Kongs handles Jake with intelligence and dignity. Wayne Roberts and Ramon Camacho are fine as teammates Doc and Rey, and Elizabeth Schmidt and Liz Osborne are super as sister Margaret and friend Darlene. These folks are not dumbos and ditzes, but real people. Baseball players can be a superstitious lot, so there’s a one foot in reality comedy factor here.

Also featured are Jay Pennick and Heather Brooker as Statman and Stella, two sports radio personalities who have a sports show that beams from above the stage. They serve to tell us what is happening to the beloved, beleaguered Chicago Cubs as the plays timeline progresses. I’m not sure if these two characters were necessary, but they were entertaining nonetheless.

A highpoint in the play is the scene in the second act where Jake must convince Molly that he really loves her and was attracted to her from the outset. Another highpoint is a scene in the first act between the sisters where older sister Margaret consoles Molly after her break-up. The ensemble work is well staged by director Matt Ryan, who also designed the rather dingy bar environment most of the play takes place in. My one real qualm is with costumer Liz Dickson. The three ball players were dressed like street people, not like the affluent baseball stars they are supposed to be. The women are a bit frumpy as well. This took away from the reality of the piece. It looks like the men are in rehearsal dress and the women just came from Goodwill. It’s a factor that should be looked into.

All in all, the final box score on SLUMPBUSTER reads a goodly amount of runs and hits, with only a couple of errors. The show plays Thursdays and Sundays at 8 PM, now through March 6, 2011, at the Asylum Lab, 1078 Lillian Way in Hollywood. Visit www.pianofight.com for tickets and information.

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