Race to the awards — ‘The Royale’

There are many definitions of the word stunning, including the one that seems most appropriate for Marco Ramirez’s magnificent stunner currently taking ones very breath away at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center.

The events of this visceral mind gripper are loosely inspired by the life of Jack Johnson (1878-1946) the famous African-American boxer convinced to lure the era’s iconic heavyweight champion out of retirement. But the message, via Ramirez’s haunting insight into the price of Jackson’s victory reaches far beyond the physical battle that we watch from beyond the boxing ring as the events in this haunting, stinging drama reveal the price of victory for the new champion.

The awesome creativity of the playwright’s message that a triumph does not always mean winning is played out on a boxing ring where Fish (a young, talented prize fighter drawn to the sport (superb performance by young McKinley Belcher III) finds himself “out-boxed”— actually toyed with by powerful, cunning Khris Davis’ Jay. And Davis’ magnetic, surely awards bound performance as a feisty proponent of the science of boxing delivers the knockout punches of “The Royale!”

The genius of the playwright’s staging is that there are no punches — not a single one — landed as the veteran and novice play out the mind games that reveal the elder boxer’s experience and mental strength. But our audience soon gets the picture. The man is playing with the youth — respecting his talent — to show him that prize fighting is as much a game of the mind — as one’s fists.

When Jay is convinced by his handler to challenge champion Jeffries in a deal where he and his handlers receive a pittance of the purse for “The Fight of the Century” his caring sister Nina — in an exquisite, haunting performance — by Montego Glover as a woman whose already knows first hand the price that black people of the era were subjected to for any show of strength in their encounters with a rabid, hate mongering white population. And, arguably, the moment you’ll take home after Jay defeats and demolishes the white champion is the fate of protégé Fish, innocently heading to celebrate his mentor’s victory.

Words seem inadequate for the hosannas due playwright Ramirez for the ingenuous method he has chosen to deal with the innate brutality of prize fighting, to remind us this is a sport where sharpness of the mind is as vital as brute strength, as we well know from boxing champions and contenders of eras past.
Go and be mesmerized by “The Royale’s” ingenuously simple sets (bravo Nick Vaughan) which focus us on the folk defined by them, and by Rachel Chavkins altogether award-worthy direction, which opens our eyes anew to a time in history —100 years ago — that unfortunately still seems to be intermittently with us despite a century of progress in that arena.

When you leave the Mitzi Newhouse, the raw power of the exquisitely focused “The Royale”—a perfect play if this critic has ever seen one may find you wanting a return visit. Make haste, because news of Marco Ramirez’s magnificent, truly ingenuous knockout creation is already selling out!(Lincoln Center Theater, 212-239-6200, telecharge.com and groups at 212-889-4300)

Book now, while you can
Theater scheduled to debut between now and the May cut-off for this year’s Tony Awards eligibility boggles the mind. My own calendar looks like a crossword puzzle, but perusing it there are already standouts becoming “tough tickets.” “The Royale” is one of them, and here for your own theater preferences are some of the new and coming musicals and dramas that seem especially promising to book. To begin, the Public Theater has never had a more productive season, and with its loyal followers ticketing well in advance is a wise choice.

Start your list with “Dry Powder” billed as a “rare comedy placing us front and center among the folk skewering the current economy” — think private equity and shenanigans! Genius Award Winner Tarell Alvin McCraney is back with a “deeply moving drama” about a family’s acceptance and the power of faith in facing life’s later challenges — with performances beginning now. Visit the Public’s website www.publictheater.org for additional offerings, including “Hungry” and “Head of Passes.”

Finally, one of the most anticipated short runs of the season is Lisa Divans’ internationally acclaimed “Beckett Trilogy: Not/Footfalls/Rockaby” opening April 13 in celebration of the 110th anniversary of Samuel Beckett’s birth. At NYU’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, the run is short, but includes a gala birthday celebration or two! (566 La Guardia Place (Washington Square). A must for Beckett buffs — count this one in! Skirball-center.tickets-center.com.