Tennis Icon Billie Jean King Visits Balls

Tennis icon Billie Jean King visited One Year Lease Theater Company and Stages Repertory Theatre's production of Balls at 59E59 Theaters on Friday, February 23, to take in the show, which re-creates the events of her 1973 match against Bobby Riggs. The production closed February 25.

Balls, written by Kevin Armento and Bryony Lavery, starred Danny Bernardy, Donald Corren, Alex Gould, Danté Jeanfelix, Zakiya Markland, Olivia McGiff, Elisha Mudly, Cristina Pitter, Richard Saudek, and Ellen Tamaki. Ianthe Demos and Nick Flint directed.

The production was desribed as follows: "It’s 1973, and Houston’s Astrodome is playing host to one of the biggest cultural events of all time as Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs face off in the Battle of the Sexes tennis match. Balls is a high-intensity theatrical retelling of this unforgettable match and the cultural debates it ignited around sexism, women in sport, and equality. One Year Lease’s signature high-energy physical style embraces the carnival atmosphere of the original event, and features a shot-by-shot imagining of the entire match."