GOLDEN BOY is the story of Joe Bonaparte (to be played by Seth Numrich), a young, gifted violinist who is torn between pursuing a career in music and earning big money as a prize fighter. This will be a rare Broadway production for the Odets classic and the second Odets work to be presented by Lincoln Center Theater following its Tony Award winning revival of Awake and Sing!, also directed by Bartlett Sher, in 2006.
The point of this Lincoln Center Theater production is the rare opportunity to see a pivotal American period piece staged deeply into the period by Bartlett Sher ('South Pacific') with a huge, expert cast that only a nonprofit can afford to showcase with such luxurious dedication today on Broadway…In almost three hours, we watch [Seth Numrich] transform physically into a convincing fighting machine and, ultimately, to a barely recognizable monster of sharp edges and shadows….Sher encourages a few actors to lay on the cultural cliches pretty heavily, but, then again, so did Odets. Mostly, the production combines an exhilarating fast-talking swagger with both Odets' real and overwrought lyricism.
A dazzling revival of Clifford Odets’ ”Golden Boy” opened Thursday, still packing a punch after 75 years. Tyson could do well to watch how to successfully put together a show about the rise and fall of a boxer…Tony Shalhoub is a stand-out as Bonaparte’s father, a role whose lines are written in broken Italian-accented English which could be a disaster in the wrong hands...But Shalhoub is so skilled that only a deeply felt character emerges…Numrich, who starred as the young farm boy Albert Narracott in “War Horse,” is a nimble former “shrimp with glasses” here, maintaining his air of insecurity despite a toned physique and a solid left hook. The actor nicely does impetuousness and brashness, but also you can feel his inner tumult at betraying his father….Sher has embraced the realism of this dark world — the sweat, gore and rushes of blood to the head. There are passionate kisses but always a lingering threat of violence. The place reeks of leather and failure.
1937 | Broadway |
Broadway |
1952 | Broadway |
Broadway |
1995 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
2012 | Broadway |
Lincoln Center Theater Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Featured Actor in a Play | Danny Burstein |
2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | 0 |
2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Set Design | Michael Yeargan |
2013 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Seth Numrich |
2013 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Tony Shalhoub |
2013 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | 0 |
2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Danny Burstein |
2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Tony Shalhoub |
2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | 0 |
2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Set Design (Play or Musical) | Michael Yeargan |
2013 | Theatre World Awards | Theatre World Award | Yvonne Strahovski |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Play | Catherine Zuber |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Bartlett Sher |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Donald Holder |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Danny Burstein |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Tony Shalhoub |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Lincoln Center Theater |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Andre Bishop |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Bernard Gersten |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Golden Boy |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Play | Michael Yeargan |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Play | Peter John Still |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Play | Marc Salzberg |
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