Golden Boy (play)

2025-10-24T01:13:34Z

156.57.102.180: /* Production history */

{{Short description|1937 drama by Clifford Odets}}
{{italic title}}
{{Other uses|Golden Boy (disambiguation){{!}}Golden Boy}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2010}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}

'''''Golden Boy''''' is a drama by [[Clifford Odets]]. The play was initially produced on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] by [[Group Theatre (New York)|The Group Theatre]] in 1937. Odets' biggest hit was made into a [[1939 in film|1939]] [[Golden Boy (1939 film)|film of the same name]], starring [[William Holden]] in his breakthrough role, and also served as the basis for a [[Golden Boy (musical)|1964 musical]] with [[Sammy Davis Jr.]]

==Plot==

Joe Bonaparte, a young [[Italian American]] man and talented violinist, dreams of becoming a professional musician. Joe, however, fights a boxing match for manager Tom Moody, which he wins. Joe's father, Mr. Bonaparte, has scraped up enough money to afford a top-of-the-line violin for Joe's 21st birthday. However, upon learning of Joe's fight from Joe's brother Frank, Mr. Bonaparte decides not to give Joe the violin. Two months later, Joe has become a successful boxer for Moody and Roxy Gottlieb, a prizefight promoter. However, Joe won't throw punches, attempting to protect his hands. Later, Joe prepares to go on a boxing tour, where Mr. Bonaparte presents Joe with the violin. Joe plays it, but tells his father to return it.

Six months later, Joe's career continues to advance. Infamous gangster Eddie Fuseli approaches Moody and Roxy, demanding to be signed on as a partner, which Joe agrees to. Moody, believing Joe to be distracted by his fame, convinces his girlfriend Lorna to talk to Joe. She does so, and the pair profess their love to each other. Despite this, Lorna cannot bring herself to break off her relationship with Moody. Feeling that he has lost Lorna as well as his father's respect, Joe no longer holds back in the ring. In his next match, Joe defeats his opponent, but breaks a hand, thereby ruining any future career he may have had as a violinist.

Six months later, Joe has become a top-ranked prizefighter. He has become disillusioned with his fame and his managers, and has become more vicious in the ring. After learning Lorna is engaged to Moody, Joe confronts her and they argue, where Lorna accuses Joe of being a killer like Fuseli. Disoriented, Joe is unable to stay focused against his opponent, but pulls through with a victory. Before the celebration begins, Joe learns his final blow has killed his opponent. Meanwhile, Joe's managers arrive at the Bonaparte home to wait for Joe and Lorna. Frank receives a call informing him that Joe and Lorna have died in a car accident. Mr. Bonaparte prepares to retrieve the body, saying he will bring Joe "home ... where he belongs."

==Production history==

Following his 1935 successes ''[[Waiting for Lefty]]'' and ''[[Awake and Sing!]]'', Odets went to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] to write ''[[The General Died at Dawn]]'' with the intention of using his salary to support the [[Group Theatre (New York)|Group Theatre]], the independent theatre company that had produced his earlier plays,<ref name=lahr>Lahr, John.[http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/04/17/060417crat_atlarge "Stage Left, The struggles of Clifford Odets"]''The New Yorker'', April 17, 2006</ref><ref>[http://www.jewish-theatre.com/VISITOR/article_display.aspx?articleID=2907 "Clifford Odets Papers 1926-1963 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223141852/http://www.jewish-theatre.com/VISITOR/article_display.aspx?articleID=2907 |date=2012-02-23 }} jewish-theatre.com, retrieved March 27, 2010</ref> despite his previous protests against large corporations, including movie studios. His own internal struggle to choose between art and materialism became the basis for the theme of his play, his first to focus more on [[psychology]] and personal relationships than social criticism. The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' reviewer noted that Odets wrote about social consciousness in ''Waiting for Lefty'' and "lessons of faith" in ''Awake and Sing'', but in ''Golden Boy'' he set out to "merely tell a story."<ref>Cohen, Harold W.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19371221&id=4YgnAAAAIBAJ&sjid=r2kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4945,3368283 Review]''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', (news.google.com), December 21, 1937</ref>

Odets called the play "symbolic", with one latter-era critic noting that "the show pits spiritual ideals against lust for fame and money in what can only be termed an implausible setup."<ref>Herman, Jan.[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-03-13-ca-307-story.html "Stage Review Odets 'Golden Boy' Is Still Powerful in Bold UCI Revival"]''Los Angeles Times'', March 13, 1990</ref> According to [[John Lahr]], "The heroes of 'Golden Boy' and 'The Big Knife' are both torn between commercial success and artistic fulfillment, driven crazy by their decision to live against their natures; both murder themselves out of nostalgia for their lost integrity."<ref name=lahr/>

The original [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] production, directed by [[Harold Clurman]], opened on November 4, 1937 at the [[Belasco Theatre (Broadway)|Belasco Theatre]],<ref>Atkinson, Brooks. [https://www.nytimes.com/1937/11/21/archives/golden-boy-clifford-odets-rewards-the-group-theatre-with-one-of-his.html?ref=cliffordodets GOLDEN BOY'; Clifford Odets Rewards the Group Theatre With One of. His Best Plays"] ''The New York Times'' (abstract), November 21, 1937, p.1</ref> where it ran for 250 performances. The cast included [[Luther Adler]] as Joe, [[Robert Lewis (actor)|Robert Lewis]] as Roxy, [[Morris Carnovsky]] as Joe's father, Roman Bohnen as Tom, and [[Frances Farmer]] as Lorna, [[John Garfield]] as Siggie, [[Lee J. Cobb]] as Mr. Carp, [[Elia Kazan]] as Eddie Fuselli and [[Howard da Silva]] as Lewis.<ref name=times>Nugent, Frank S. "Movie Review Golden Boy (1939)", ''The New York Times'', September 8, 1939</ref><ref>Odets, Clifford.[https://books.google.com/books?id=pMM5mFUvS10C&q=Odets+%22Golden+Boy%22 "'Golden Boy' published script", Dramatists Play Service, Inc., 1948] {{ISBN|0-8222-0456-8}} books.google.com, retrieved March 27, 2010</ref>

The play was revived on Broadway at the [[August Wilson Theatre|ANTA Playhouse]], opening on March 12, 1952, and closing on April 6, 1952, after 55 performances. [[John Garfield]] played Joe.<ref>Atkinson, Brooks. [https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0F15F9385E107A93C1AB1788D85F468585F9 "GOLDEN BOY'; Clifford Odets' Drama About a Prize Fighter Still a Powerful Work"] ''The New York Times'' (abstract), March 23, 1952, p.XI</ref>

A second Broadway revival, produced by the [[Lincoln Center Theater]], opened on December 6, 2012 at the [[Belasco Theatre (Broadway)|Belasco Theatre]]. Direction is by [[Bartlett Sher]] with Seth Numrich as Joe Bonaparte, [[Yvonne Strahovski]] as Lorna Moon, [[Tony Shalhoub]] as Mr. Bonaparte and [[Danny Burstein]] as Tokio.<ref>Hetrick, Adam. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/168893-Clifford-Odets39-Golden-Boy-Starring-Seth-Numrich-Tony-Shalhoub-Danny-Burstein-to-Play-the-Belasco "Clifford Odets' 'Golden Boy', Starring Seth Numrich, Tony Shalhoub, Danny Burstein, to Play the Belasco"] playbill.com, August 8, 2012</ref><ref>Isherwood, Charles [http://theater.nytimes.com/2012/12/07/theater/reviews/golden-boy-directed-by-bartlett-sher.html "The Sweet Science vs. the Stradivarius: Review of ‘Golden Boy,’ Directed by Bartlett Sher"], ''New York Times'', published December 6, 2012.</ref> The play closed on January 20, 2013 after 53 performances and 30 previews.<ref>Hetrick, Adam. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/174131-Clifford-Odets-Golden-Boy-Leaves-the-Ring-Broadway-Revival-Concludes-Jan-20 "Clifford Odets' 'Golden Boy' Leaves the Ring; Broadway Revival Concludes Jan. 20"] playbill.com, January 20, 2013</ref> ''Golden Boy'' received eight 2013 [[Tony Award]] nominations, including Best Revival of a Play and Best Performance By An Actor In A Featured Role In A Play for both Shalhoub and Burstein,<ref>Gans, Andrew. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/177440-Nominations-Announced-for-67th-Annual-Tony-Awards-Kinky-Boots-Earns-13-Nominations "Nominations Announced for 67th Annual Tony Awards; 'Kinky Boots' Earns 13 Nominations"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130503025859/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/177440-Nominations-Announced-for-67th-Annual-Tony-Awards-Kinky-Boots-Earns-13-Nominations |date=May 3, 2013 }} playbill.com, April 30, 2013</ref> and three [[Drama Desk Award]] nominations, including Outstanding Revival of a Play.

A London revival, directed by [[Sam Yates]] and starring [[Josh O'Connor]], is planned to open in September 2026 at the [[Almeida Theatre]].<ref>https://almeida.co.uk/whats-on/golden-boy/</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Golden Boy (play)}}
*[http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=12308 Internet Broadway Database listing, 1937 production]
*[http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=2184 Internet Broadway Database listing, 1952 production]
*[http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=493270 Internet Broadway Database listing, 2012 production]
*[http://mcnyblog.org/2013/06/04/golden-boy-at-the-tonys/ Golden Boy at the Tonys] from the [http://mcnyblog.org/ Museum of the City of New York Collections blog]

{{Clifford Odets}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Golden Boy (Play)}}
[[Category:1937 plays]]
[[Category:Broadway plays]]
[[Category:Plays by Clifford Odets]]
[[Category:American plays adapted into films]]
[[Category:Boxing mass media]]

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Golden Boy (play)