Friday, January 18, 2013

'Jammer,' a roller-derby comedy, is on a roll

'Jammer,' a roller-derby comedy, is on a roll

In the fast lane: From l.,  Dan Domingues, Patch Darragh & Christopher Jackson in “Jammer”  Kevin Thomas Garcia

From l., Dan Domingues, Patch Darragh, Christopher Jackson and Todd Weeks in 'Jammer'

Rolin Jones isn’t above pleading for creativity from directors giving his plays a spin.

Case in point: His roguish roller-derby odyssey, “The Jammer.”

“The roller-derby sequences require an imaginative dancelike theatrical solution,” Jones explains in an author’s note. “Please, please, please no actual roller skates!”

Jones isn’t joking. “It’s a very physical piece of theater,” he says. “It’s an adult popup book.”

In 2004, the comedy popped up at the New York International Fringe Festival. It has since been revised, but the plot remains the same.

A hero’s journey of sorts, it follows Brooklyn boy Jack Lovington (Patch Darragh), who’s called to pro skating and gets more than he bargained for.

The play’s Off-Broadway premiere marks a reunion with the Atlantic Theater Company and director Jackson Gay. She staged his 2006 Pulitzer finalist, “The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow,” for the troupe.

Jones, whose TV credits include “Weeds,” “Boardwalk Empire” and the new cop drama “Low Winter Sun,” says Keith Coppage’s book “Roller Derby to Rollerjam ” informed his fable.

Another resource: Brooklyn’s Roller Derby Hall of Fame run by Gary Powers, who loaned the Atlantic two vintage helmets for the show’s run.

“It’s the most dangerous play in New York,” Jones half-kids. “Patch Darragh ripped off a toenail one day. There’s a real level commitment.”

“The Jammer” runs through Feb. 10 at the Atlantic, 330 W. 16th St. Tickets: $ 45; (212) 279-4200.

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