Topdog/Underdog, a darkly comic fable of brotherly love and family identity, tells the story of two brothers, Lincoln and Booth , names given to them as a joke by their father. Haunted by the past and their obsession with the street con game, three-card monte, the brothers come to learn the true nature of their history. Susan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece Topdog/Underdog returns to Broadway for its 20th Anniversary production.
The director of 'Topdog,' Kenny Leon-who was nominated for a Tony for directing the sensitive 2020 revival of 'A Soldier's Play'-emphasizes the dialogue's overheard quality, the shoot-the-shit ease that the brothers have together. His work with the actors is light but sure. Abdul-Mateen-swaggering, buoyant, easily offended-reacts behind the beat, maintaining his optimism for a minute after bad news comes through. Hawkins, on the other hand, stays just ahead of the moment, his shoulders crumpling slightly, like a card that's been thumbed too much, even when the brothers seem to be getting along. They are both wonderful, but Hawkins gives a sly, peekaboo performance that rolls up next to you like a grenade.
How wonderful to experience again, in the hilarious, harrowing and superbly acted Broadway revival that opened on Thursday at the Golden Theater, Parks's fearlessness. Rejecting fixed meanings, as well as the limitations and clichés of correctness, she generates themes that her play will not so much corral as set free. There's fraternal competition, as old and awful as Jacob and Esau. Race as fate but also performance. The endlessly sorrowful loop of American violence. And of course, sleight of hand: Before a minute goes by, Parks has her fingerprints all over your feelings.
| 2022 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Production Broadway |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Yahya Abdul-Mateeh II |
| 2023 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Corey Hawkins |
| 2023 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Play | Kenny Leon |
| 2023 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Topdog/Underdog |
| 2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design (Play or Musical) | Dede Ayite |
| 2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Play | Kenny Leon |
| 2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play | Corey Hawkins |
| 2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Topdog/Underdog |
| 2023 | Theatre World Awards | Theatre World Awards | Yahya Abdul-Mateen II |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Yaha Abdul-Mateen II |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Corey Hawkins |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Topdog/Underdog |
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