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Golden Boy

Playing at the Belasco Theatre at 111 West 44th street. It runs two hours twenty four minutes with two intermissions. The first act is sixty three minutes, second act fifty three minutes and the third act twenty eight minutes. The play closes on January 20, 2013.
 

The Broadway production opened on November 4, 1937 at the Belasco Theatre. It ran for 236 performances. Luther Adler as Joe, Robert Lewis as Roxy. Some of the other actors were Lee J. Cobb, Elia Kazan, Harry Morgan, Karl Malden and John Garfield. The first revival was at the ANTA Playhouse on March 12, 1952 and closed on April 6, 1952 after fifty five performances. John Garfield played Joe.
 

The playwright Clifford Odets wrote four plays “Golden Boy”, “Clash by Night”, “The Big Knife” and “The Country Girl”. All were made into films. He did not write the screen play.

 

 

Bartlett Sher is the director. He won a Tony and Drama Desk Award in 2008 for “South Pacific”. Bartlett was nominated for a Tony Award in 2005 “The Light in the Piazza”, 2006 “Awake and Sing” and 2009 “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”.
 

Catherine Zuber did the costumes. She has been nominated ten times for a Tony Award and has won five. Catherine received the Tony for “The Royal Family” (2010), “South Pacific” (2008), “The Coast of Utopia" ( 2007), “Awake and Sing” (2006) and “The Light in the Piazza” (2005). She was nominated for “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” (2011), “Born Yesterday” (2011) “Edward Albee’s Seascape” (2006), “Dinner at Eight” (2003) and “Twelfth Night” (1999).
 

Michael Yeargan did the sets. He won a Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards in 2008 for “South Pacific”. Michael was also nominated for a Tony Award for “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” (2009), “Awake and Sing” (2006) and “The Light in the Piazza” (2005).
 

Danny Burnstein has won a Drama Desk Award and Outer Circle Critics Award in 2012 for “Follies”. He was nominated for a Tony for this show. Danny won the 2008 Outer Critics Circle Award for “South Pacific” and was nominated for the Tony and Drama Desk Award for this role. In 2006 he was nominated for a Tony Award for “The Drowsy Chaperone”.
 

Daniel Jenkins was nominated for a Tony Award in 2003 for “Big River”.

 

 

Tony Shalhoub was nominated for a Tony Award in 1992 for “Conversations With My Father”. He won an Emmy Award in 2003, 2005, and 2006 for the show “Monk”. Tony won a Golden Globe Award in 2003 for “Monk”.

 

 

The play takes place in New York City from 1936-1937.
 

Tom Moody (Danny Mastrogiorgio) is a prize fight manager. None of his fighters have had a win in a long time. His girlfriend Lorna Moon (Yvonne Strahovski) wants him to marry her but he can’t because he is still married.
 

Joe Bonaparte (Seth Numrich) walks into Tom’s offices insisting he put him into the ring. Tom is not happy about this. Especially when he finds out his top fighter broke his hand thanks to Joe. Tokio (Danny Burnstein) is Joe's trainer and also works for Tom. He raves how good he is.

 

 

Meanwhile Joe’s family doesn't know anything about his boxing. He has a promising career playing the violin. Joe turns 21 the next day. His father (Tony Shalhoud) bought him a violin for his birthday costing him $1,200. Living in the same apartment are his sister Anna (Dagmara Dominczyk) and her husband Siggie (Michael Aronov). Siggie wants Mr. Bonaparte to give him money to get a cab. But his world revolves around Joe. Frank Bonaparte (Lucas Caleb Rooney) his older brother lives in the apartment also. His job is with the unions.
 

The story revolves Joe, his family, the men pushing his boxing career and Lorna.
 

Joe loves Lorna and she him. But she still loves Tom.
 

Once Joe starts winning fights Eddie Fuseli (Anthony Crivello) a thug wants part of the action. He refines Joe.
 

This is a heart wrenching story with a stellar cast. Some are just back drops and say nothing but add to the substance that make this a great show. When I asked one of the actors which role he played he replied “I was one of the boxers in the background that moved around”.
 

Tony Shalhoub does a great job. It is nice seeing him playing a role with an accent. Good bye Monk well at least for now.
 

Yvonne Strhovski is making her Broadway debut. She held her own against the almost all male cast and did a terrific job.
 

Michael Aronov was so good he was getting on my nerves. I wanted to slap his face.
 

Danny Burnstein is solid as the trainer.
 

I loved the costumes. They were perfect from head to toe.
 

The set slides from the middle to either side when the set is changed from Tom’s office to the Bonaparte apartment. The back drop was the front of apartment buildings. It had a different look for the locker room. Both had a gray tone to it. It was a cleaver set.

 

 

I hate fights. But this is a knockout show to see. Even if you don’t like boxing you will like this play. I didn’t have to close my eyes it was that good.
 

Review by Rozanna Radakovich.
 

Photos by Annazor.
 

For a candid interview with the cast scroll down to the left for recent photos. Click on recent photos for this and other shows. 

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