Golden Boy

        There are some stories that will never cease to be relevant. There are some subjects that no matter the package they are delivered in, are always going to ring true to the human spirit. Clifford Odets' 1937 family drama Golden Boy is one such story.

        It's true that boxing is not the event sport that it used to be. There was a time when boxing matches sold out every night they were on, and men would listen to the fights on the radio, and later on television. Boxers were, at one time, the highest paid athletes in the country. While the wrapping of Golden Boy is about boxing, the package underneath is a story about family, a fathers love for his son, and a sons need to make his own way in the world.

      Golden Boy tells the story of Joe Bonaparte, a gifted young violinist who lives in a small apartment with his Father, sister, and her husband. Joe feels a strong need to make his own way in the world, and to become a success in his own fashion. While his father wants Joe to be a musician, even if that means only just having enough to scrape by, Joe has loftier dreams of being wealthy.

     Joe, it turns out, is also a very gifted prize fighter. After he starts boxing small time, he is picked up with a national promoter and becomes a welter weight sensation. He then has to choose between the career in music that he has always wanted for himself, or a career in boxing which has become newly attainable and lucrative.

      This particular production of Golden Boy hit every note in this concerto beautifully. Seth Numrich is perfectly cast in the lead role of Joe Bonaparte. He is at times equally a kid and a man in pursuit of his dreams. Tony Shaloub should be getting a Tony nomination for playing Joe's Italian immigrant father. He gives Mr. Bonaparte a tender heart with a sensitive outer shell that nuanced with an apathy that most people will find relate able to their own fathers.

   The rest of the cast was rounded out especially well with the always fantastic Danny Burstein as Joe's trainer Tokio, Danny Mastriogorgio as Joe's manager Mr. Moody, and Yvonne Strahovski as the forbidden love interest Lorna Moone.

    This Lincoln Center produced limited run revival was directed superbly by Bartlett Sher. The set design by Michael Yeargen worked perfectly in the beautiful Belasco theater. Catherine Zuber's costume designed complimented the scenery as well as the actors wonderfully.

  Despite the fact that it closed in January, I would expect (and hope) that many aspects of this production will be awarded with Tony nominations when they are announced in May. Set, Costumes, Direction, Lighting, Revival, Lead Actor, and Supporting Actor are more than well deserved in my opinion.

       Golden Boy closed on Broadway at The Belasco Theater on January 20th, 2013 after 30 previews and 53 regular performances.