They Can Act, But Can They Bowl? Bobby Cannavale, Jesse L. Martin and More Roll One for Second Stage

There’s no doubt that Broadway stars are immensely talented people, but their confidence dips when it comes to one thing: bowling. “I’m not a good bowler, I’ve never been a good bowler, I will likely never be a very good bowler,” admitted Bobby Cannavale who, along with other A-list actors, captained a team of lucky donors at Second Stage’s 24th annual All-Star Bowling Classic at Lucky Strike Lanes and Lounge on February 7.

Fresh off his first day of rehearsals for Broadway’s The Motherf**ker with the Hat, the actor wasn’t expecting to lead his team to victory, but he did have a more reasonable goal in mind. “I’m hoping to walk away with the award for ‘Most Spirited’ again,” he said of the accolade he took home at last year’s event. “I have that up on my bookshelf, and I’m really proud of it.”

So who was going to walk away the night’s big winner? “I’m lookin’ at Anthony Mackie,” Second Stage alum Dylan Baker told Broadway.com. “Come on, he was on the cover of Vanity Fair, now he’s going to come in here and destroy the place.”

When Mackie was informed that he was being eyed as the evening’s competition to beat, the Night Catches Us star seemed none too surprised. “Well, I am a bowling aficionado,” he admitted. “That’s what they call me in the ‘hood.” Wait, really? “When I was on a team in high school I was averaging a score of about 225. I was that guy. I had my own shoes, my own wrist support, my own bag and my own ball.” Not that he considered himself a ringer in 2011: “I was a lot stronger and a lot more agile then. Now I’m just a beat-up old man.”

It turns out Mackie wasn’t the only one with a competitive bowling pedigree. “Oh yeah, I was on a bowling team,” preened Merchant of Venice vet Jesse L. Martin. “I was 11 and I was terrible! I just liked the shirts.”

Maulik Paucholy of 30 Rock admitted to taking a bowling class for a PE credit (“It was pass/fail”), but on this night he wanted only to win the award for "Guy Who Didn’t Actually Break His Ankle." Stephanie J. Block, now gearing up to appear in By the Way, Meet Vera Stark at Second Stage, declared herself “gutter all the way,” and actress Anna Chlumsky wanted to walk away with one thing only: “my self-respect.”

Scores aside, at the end of the evening these folks all came for one reason: to support Second Stage. That, and the snacks: “As soon as they said there would be popcorn shrimp-y things, I was into it,” Anthony Mackie joked. “And Second Stage, of course.”

Fueled by popcorn shrimp-y things, Mackie captained his team to second place, finishing behind the fleet helmed by Three Sisters star Jessica Hecht. Fittingly, the bowling shirt-loving Martin walked away with "Most Stylish Male Bowler." Sadly, the "Most Spirited" cup slipped through Bobby Cannavale's fingers this year and into the peppy paws of Logan Marshall-Green. Sorry, Bobby, better luck next year!

Check out Broadway.com’s photos of this heated competition here.