Josh O’Connor’s Knockout Return In Golden Boy
Photo by Marc Brenner
The Almeida Theatre in London just closed its most anticipated play of the year, Golden Boy, leaving great impressions to the public. Directed by Olivier Award winning Sam Yates, the script revives from Clifford Odets, who wrote it back in the 1930s. First premiering with New York’s the Group Theatre, Odets’ Golden Boy was acknowledged with great acclaim, making him one of the most celebrated American playwrights of the century.
Though Josh O’Connor started his schooling and career in the theater, his anticipated return from the silver screen marked a new wave of viewership to the breakout star. Most known for playing Patrick Zweig in Luca Guadagnino’s, Challengers, O’Connor’s acting range has been surprising. From winning an Emmy Award for playing the young King Charles III in Netflix’s, The Crown, to playing Romeo in the National Theatre’s revival of Romeo and Juliet, it seems as though O’Connor can succeed in any role.
Josh O’Connor stars as Joe Bonaparte, a violinist and wanna-be professional boxer. His yearning for artistic expression and a chance at fame coincide with one another, and the audience experiences the mental and physical battle Joe goes through in the two and a half hour act. His ruthless boxing managers, chance at a forbidden lover, and Italian-American family all play a part in his downfall, deteriorating Joe until the very end.
The surroundings are accompanied by a live-string orchestra, who physically fade in and out of the setting. Oscar Prout and Anton Vehring depict the young Joe, also fading in and out of the show; the instrumentals and his past seem depicted by an idea of memories being remembered in Joe's brain. Daniel Mays plays Tom Moody, Joe’s first manager, who convinces Joe that his ideal life should be one of fame and fortune in the boxing world. Joe’s love interest is played by Hayley Squires, who battles with her first lover, Moody, and her new found interest in Joe. The supporting characters are played by Jason Barnett, Richard Fleeshman, David Ganly, Patrick Martins, Oliver Ryan, Stanley Townsend, Zubin Varla, and Nicholas Woodeson.
Joe’s emotional states are clear through O’Connor. His work throughout this production ranges from a hopeful, young talent, to a cynical, egotistic celebrity. He starts with a quietness that can be interpreted as insecurity, someone nervous to approach a profession he believes he can succeed in. O’Connor has the natural ability to observe the space around him, and when I have watched his performances before and in this play, I recognize his questioning of what’s happening around him; his curiosity makes me curious as an audience member. That insecurity of Joe shifts, where he has moments of spite and outrage towards his managers, trainer, and family, knowing deep down he can be an incredible boxer if he pushed his past behind him.
O’Connor in those darker and more outrageous moments come as a surprise, as if someone as stoic and gentle as him could even explore a range of such. His character reaches moments of complete breakdown, sobbing, yelling, and collapsing on the floor. Exploring such a wide variety of emotions is only one of a serious artist can achieve in true believability.
There are many symbolic figures throughout the play, and Joe’s hands are seen as a metaphoric figure; raising his left hand in front of his face depicts when he would strum the violin, his past art and passion. The hands are used to fight, showing different moments of them wrapped up in boxing gloves, or even upwrapped and bruised. The delicate hands Joe used to make music turn into a tool for fighting, damaging his opponents, and even the ones he loves.
The violin in itself is also used throughout the play. It’s almost carried differently each time, where his younger self holds it with pride, and his older self with hesitation. The violin case is also carried throughout the show sometimes on Joe’s shoulders; it can be interpreted as a past burden Joe holds onto as his boxing career becomes more prosperous.
Towards the end of the show, Joe starts to have a manic breakdown, where he opens the violin case, and money falls out of it. Money is also a leading symbol; the more money seen on stage, the more insane Joe becomes. The physical items of paper cards and shredded paper increase as well, where characters start to throw and tear it as the intensity of Joe’s battles become.
Other intriguing elements include the upwards stairs on stage right, the camera on the punching bag, and the American flag. As an American citizen, it is known that the flag never touches the ground. Joe, when winning one of his big matches, is given an American flag to wear around his shoulders; he drops the flag and walks across it. I found this quite shocking, and believed it symbolized the American dream he sought out for, but could never fully achieve.
Though the production is now closed at the Almeida Theatre, Golden Boy was filmed and will be shown in cinemas.
The National Theatre is hosting the premiere, and can be watched at participating cinemas starting the 5th of November.
Edited by Aminata Ndiaye, Theatre Editor
Comments