I can't believe I missed this when Huntington Theater announced its season - but I now see that Greif will be directing Michael Cristofer's "Man In The Ring" (based on life of boxer Emile Griffith) here in Boston in November at the Huntington. I know that it premiered at the Court in Chicago in September 2016 to mostly excellent reviews, but with some critics noting a somewhat disconnected narrative--so it is really exciting to see that Greif will have a hand in shaping this fascinating story further. I imagine with Greif involved it is also likely to see a New York stage.
Can anyone who saw it in Chicago post their thoughts? According to the casting call it seems that the adult Emile has already been cast and it is quite the role, anybody know who it might be?
Sorry if I've missed any prior threads about this.
Saw it in Chgo. It was a bit long, disconnected. But, edited well it should be a very powerful story. This is a long shot, but, I’d love to see Johnny Lee Davenport as adult Emile. Second, Damon Singletary.
Went to see this opening night and urge all Boston area theater lovers to go see it. Please know that I have nothing to do with the show. Just a Greif fan who is grateful to the Huntington for bringing Greif and Cristofer to Boston.
John Douglas Thompson and Kyle Vincent Terry (remember that name) are superb - they do a very difficult dance as the older and younger versions of Emile Griffith and they pull it off beautifully. The production receives beautiful staging - it is a visual treat and an audible one as well--for a dramatic work, there is an unusual amount of fascinating music that is organic and well integrated.
Greif does some great work and, to me, helped Cristofer solve any of the disconnectedness that Susananswerphone noted as hampering the Chicago production. I think it can use some further editing, the second is still a little long and bit padded. Thought there are other parts of his story that could be included instead. Also, the role of manager is a bit one dimensional when compared with the depth of the other characters (a nice turn by Gordan Clapp despite this).
Kudos to all - what is very good is likely to become excellent. I am going back on the last day to see if any changes were made--it is a unique opportunity for me to see a Grief work evolve in my own backyard. I believe it will end up in NY -- tho wonder if they will need to replace the current cast with names to make a play about "boxing" more appealing. I don't care one wit about boxing and, despite flaws noted above, this was very much an inner journey that captivated me completely.
Kudos, Huntington Theater for advancing this work with a first class production. Would love to hear the thoughts of others who have seen it.
joined:9/4/17
joined:
9/4/17
Posted: 5/11/18 at 6:36pm