Uzo Aduba’s upcoming portrayal of baseball player Toni Stone marks her return to the stage. (GabboT/Flickr/Biography)
“Orange Is the New Black” actress Uzo Aduba is returning to the stage to portray the first woman to play in men’s professional leagues.
Aduba, who is coming back to the New York Theater following a 2011 performance of “Godspell” on Broadway and in the 2013 show “Venice” at New York’s The Public Theater, will play the titular character in “Toni Stone.” The play, which opens for Off-Broadway preview performances in May 2019, is part of Roundabout Theater Company’s 2018-2019 set of shows, Variety reported Monday, April 9.
Stone, a Black woman, made history in 1953 when she became the first woman ever to play in men’s professional leagues after joining the Negro Leagues. In her first year with the Indianapolis Clowns, she went on to play in 50 games and a nabbed a .243 batting average, which includes hitting against the legendary pitcher, Satchel Paige, who is known as one of the greatest pitchers in history.
