| Golden Boy | |
|---|---|
 Original Broadway Poster | |
| Music | Charles Strouse |
| Lyrics | Lee Adams |
| Book | Clifford Odets William Gibson |
| Basis | PlayGolden Boy byClifford Odets |
| Productions | 1964Broadway 1968West End |
Golden Boy is amusical in two acts with a book byClifford Odets andWilliam Gibson, lyrics byLee Adams, and music byCharles Strouse.[1]
Based on the1937 play of the same name by Odets, it focuses on Joe Wellington, a young man fromHarlem who, despite his family's objections, turns toprizefighting as a means of escaping hisghetto roots and finding fame and fortune. He crosses paths withMephistopheles-like promoter Eddie Satin and eventually betrays his manager Tom Moody when he becomes romantically involved with Moody's girlfriend Lorna Moon. The musical premiered in 1964.
ProducerHillard Elkins planned the project specifically forSammy Davis Jr. and lured Odets out of semi-retirement to write the book. The original play centered onItalian American Joe Bonaparte, the son of poverty-strickenimmigrants with a disapproving brother who works as a labor organizer.[2] Elkins envisioned an updated version that would reflect the struggles of an ambitious youngAfrican American at the onset of theCivil Rights Movement and include socially relevant references to the changing times.
In Odets' original book, Joe was a sensitive would-besurgeon fighting in order to pay his way through college, but careful to protect his hands from serious damage so he could achieve his goal of saving the lives of blacks ignored by white doctors.[2] In an ironic twist, the hands he hoped would heal, killed a man in the ring.
Following theDetroit tryout, Odets died and Gibson was hired to rework the script.[2] The ideals of the noble plot were abandoned in a revision in which Joe evolved into an angry man who, embittered by the constantprejudice he faces, uses his fists to fight his frustrations. His brother became a worker forCORE, and the subtle romance between Joe and the white Lorna developed into an explicit affair capped by a kiss that shocked audiences already having difficulty adjusting to a heavilyurbanjazz score and mentions ofMalcolm X.[3] This was a far cry from the musical comediesHello, Dolly! andFunny Girl, both popular holdovers from the previous theatrical season.
TheBroadway production, directed byArthur Penn andchoreographed byDonald McKayle, opened on October 20, 1964 at theMajestic Theatre, where it ran for 568 performances and twenty-five previews. In addition to Davis, the cast includedBilly Daniels as Eddie Satin,Kenneth Tobey as Tom Moody,Jaime Rogers as Lopez and Paula Wayne as Lorna Moon, withJohnny Brown,Lola Falana,Louis Gossett, Al Kirk,Baayork Lee, andTheresa Merritt in supporting roles.[4]Nat Horne was a featured dancer in the production.
Anoriginal cast recording was released byCapitol Records, which had invested $200,000 in the production.[5] One song from the score, "This Is the Life", later became a hit in a cover version recorded byMatt Monro.Art Blakey recorded ajazz version of the score in 1964 andQuincy Jones'Golden Boy (Mercury, 1964) featured three versions of the theme.
Davis reprised his role for the 1968West End production at theLondon Palladium, the firstbook musical ever to play in the theatre.[2][6]
Porchlight Music Theatre presentedGolden Boy as a part of "Porchlight Revisits" in which they stage three forgotten musicals per year. It was in Chicago, Illinois in February 2014. It was directed by Chuck Smith, choreographed by Dina DiCostanzio, and music directed by Austin Cook.[7]
Necco (New England Confectionery Company) created a short-lived candy bar inspired by Davis and the musical. It was called "Golden Boy".
|
|
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Tony Award | Best Musical | Nominated | |
| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | Sammy Davis Jr. | Nominated | ||
| Best Choreography | Donald McKayle | Nominated | ||
| Best Producer of a Musical | Hillard Elkins | Nominated | ||
Open a New Window: The Broadway Musical in the 1960s byEthan Mordden, published by Palgrave, 2001 (ISBN 0-312-23952-1)
