RELENTLESS World Premiere to be Presented at Syracuse Stage
The production will star Rebecca S'manga Frank and Jeorge Bennett Watson.
Syracuse Stage will continue its 25/26 season with the world premiere production of “Relentless” by Rae Binstock, a new drama about a former contender, her stubborn coach and their fight over the future of a legendary boxing gym.
Directed by Syracuse Stage Associate Artistic Director Melissa Crespo, “Relentless” is a co-production with Sing Out, Louise! Productions (Broadway: “Allegiance,” “& Juliet,” “Hadestown”) and runs February 4 to 22, 2026, in the Archbold Theatre at Syracuse Stage, 820 E. Genesee St., Syracuse, N.Y.
“Rae Binstock has written a funny and moving play that hits in the ring and in the heart,” said Crespo. “I am thrilled to bring this premiere to life and to continue our commitment to developing and premiering new work here at Syracuse Stage. We are honored to collaborate with Sing Out, Louise! Productions to introduce Rae’s powerful play to the world.”
Monique Jeffries was supposed to be one of the greats: She had the skill, the hunger and Johnny, a coach who pushed her to fight like her life depended on it—until an especially brutal knockout resulted in an early retirement. These days Monique manages Bailey’s, the gym where she cut her teeth, training “white collar” clients while co-owner Johnny coaches a neighborhood kid with his sights set on the Golden Gloves amateur title.
Enter Matt, an investment banker who has the vision, and the cash, to transform Bailey’s—a gritty holdout in an increasingly gentrified Brooklyn—into an elite facility where the next generation of fighters can train alongside high-end clientele who will pay top dollar to live out their own boxing movie dreams. But with the legacy of Bailey’s on the line, it’ll take more than money to convince Johnny to part with the past, pitting him against Monique in an intimate, bare-knuckled bout for the very soul of their sport.
Binstock, an amateur boxer, worked the front desk at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, N.Y. and quickly found a home away from home amongst the trainers and fighters. “Relentless” is her love letter to the oldest boxing gym in the country, which served as an inspiration for Bailey’s.
Rebecca S'manga Frank* (“At the Wedding,” Lincoln Center Theater) stars as Monique, with Jeorge Bennett Watson* as Johnny and Stephen Michael Spencer* (Broadway: “Clyde’s”) as Matt. Rounding out the cast are David Harrison Pralgo* as Johnny’s protege Wookie, Caylie Filipa as Bailey’s fledgling new hire Bex and Sean Patrick Reilly* (Broadway: “Superior Donuts”) as Chicken, an old-school Polish trainer who spends his days parked in a ringside recliner.
The creative team includes Ann Beyersdorfer (scenic designer), Lux Haac (Costume Designer), Jess Creager (lighting designer), Daniela Hart (Uptown Works, sound designer) and Teniece Divya Johnson (fight choreographer). The production stage manager is Fran Acuña-Almiron*. The community partners for “Relentless” are the Falk College of Sport at Syracuse University and Prime Time Boxing.
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