Ultimately, ‘I Love Mickey’ is a love letter to New York, to the mythology of the Yankees, and to the fleeting, glorious magic of youth under the lights — on the field and off.
I Love Mickey is an American historical musical created by author Tony Castro with music, lyrics, and a book written by him and inspired by his bestselling biographical series of baseball legend Mickey Mantle. It is set in New York City during the 1950s when the national pastime was deeply intertwined with cultural shifts and social trends in the country.
A jazz-kissed, emotionally charged musical, I Love Mickey is a baseball Golden Age spectacle in a bustling New York where the Yankees reign by day and the Copacabana rules the night. As Joe DiMaggio nears the end of his storied career, a young Mickey Mantle steps into the spotlight, guided by the reckless Billy Martin and unexpectedly involved with rising star Marilyn Monroe.
But fame in New York comes with a price. In the shadows of the ballpark and the nightclub, the mob lurks. At the Copa, stars shine, and deals are made. Friendships fray. Legends are born. And the most dangerous game isn’t baseball — it’s survival in a city where the lights never go out.
As Mantle is ushered into stardom and temptation by Martin, he also catches the eye — and the heart — of Marilyn Monroe, whose presence destabilizes the powerful, brooding DiMaggio. Over martinis and walk-offs, we follow the wild highs and tragic lows of men raised to be gods but doomed to bleed like mortals.
In a reimagined 1950s New York, I Love Mickey taps into a city humming with both glamour and danger—where baseball diamonds and nightclub stages reflect an America eager to define itself. Mickey Mantle emerges not merely as an athlete, but as a symbolic figure of national hope. Monroe becomes less icon than embodiment of longing. And moving among them, not always in shadows, are the forces of organized crime—staking their claim in both sports and show business. That tension—between spectacle and surveillance, between grace and corruption—drives the emotional core of the show.
The musical also confronts a deeper cultural paradox: why a society so quick to condemn in the present remains so devoted to its flawed legends of the past. Mantle’s alcoholism, Monroe’s mental anguish, Sinatra’s temper—these weren’t private struggles. They were public, messy, and often painful. And yet, America didn’t turn away. These icons became more beloved. Was it their beauty, their talent—or something deeper? Did their flaws make them more relatable, more human? Did we forgive them because we needed to believe in something transcendent that still bled a little like us?
With appearances by Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, Copa owner/mob boss Frank Costello, and a chorus of showgirls, wives, sportswriters, and Yankee brass, I Love Mickey blends Rat Pack swing, Broadway bite, and baseball romance. It’s Hamilton meets Damn Yankees, with a twist of The Godfather and a splash of champagne.
With original songs that swing, swoon, and punch like a fastball, I Love Mickey is a love letter to New York, a tribute to youth, and a glittering tribute to America’s pastime.
Tone & Style: Big-band Broadway meets noir cabaret. Think Hamilton meets Damn Yankees meets Guys and Dolls, with nods to The Godfather and A Bronx Tale.
Target Audience: Baseball lovers, musical theater fans, vintage New York nostalgia seekers, pop culture buffs, and dreamers of all stripes.
Mick, Billy & The Copa will be published by Diversion Books in 2026.