Monday, March 20, 2023
Award-winning Broadway actor and Milwaukee native Anthony Crivello will present the wit and wisdom of Al McGuire in performances for students and the public March 23 at Hamilton High School.
The one-man play, McGuire, about the life of the legendary Marquette University basketball coach, was written by Emmy-winning sportscaster Dick Enberg, McGuire’s broadcasting partner. McGuire coached at Marquette from 1964 to 1977 and led his team to the school’s only NCAA Championship.
Crivello, a Marquette University graduate, has a full day planned at Hamilton and will perform excerpts for students in the morning. Select students then will take part in a two-hour motivational and leadership seminar, and a question-and-answer session will follow with panel members.
The panel includes Bo Ellis, who played on Coach McGuire’s NCAA Championship team in 1977 and for the Denver Nuggets, and Bobbie Kelsey, Milwaukee Public Schools' Commissioner of Interscholastic Athletics and Academics and former University of Wisconsin coach for the women’s basketball team. Others on the panel are Olajuwon Cawthon, an EMT and recruiter at Bell Ambulance and an MPS graduate, and
Stephaine Crosley, a program manager at SecureFutures. Crosley attended Cleveland State University on a basketball scholarship after playing at Rufus King High School.
Crivello, who won a Tony Award in 1993 for his role in Kiss of the Spider Woman, will perform excerpts of the play for the public at 7:00 p.m. in the Hamilton High School auditorium. Tickets, which are $10, are available by calling the school at (414) 327-9300. A half-hour question-and-answer session with the panel will follow at 8:00 p.m.
“The play is as much about motivation and character as it is basketball, making it a favorite for sports fans and nonsports fans alike,” said the play’s producer, Bob Rech of Rech Entertainment.
Milwaukee Public Schools and Rech Entertainment are creating a college scholarship fund for Hamilton students through ticket sales and corporate partnerships.
Thus far, presenting sponsor Heiser Automotive Group, along with Bell Ambulance, Priya Corp., Clearwing, SecureFutures, and Educators Credit Union, have contributed $4,500 toward the scholarship fund.
“Al McGuire always cared about giving back to the community, and this is a great way to honor his legacy,” Rech said.
Alexander Hamilton High School is at 6215 W. Warnimont Ave. in Milwaukee.