Review: GOLDEN BOY, Almeida Theatre
Photo credit: Marc Brenner
Written by Clifford Odets, Golden Boy is a tragic tale of a young man’s pursuit of the American Dream and all it ends up costing him.
Joe Bonaparte (Josh O’Connor) is a young violinist trying to make it in life. Tired of getting nowhere and coveting everything that the American Dream has to offer, he trades his dreams of becoming a musician to become a prize fighter. Despite his father’s disapproval, Joe commits himself to boxing, initially hesitant to cause permanent damage to his hands in the hope that he might one day return to music. Eventually, he breaks his hand knowing that he never will.
The play has great philosophical depth and explores it particularly well through Joe’s relationship with his past self. There is something almost tragic about watching him delight in breaking his own hand, as though his past self has to die for him to be reborn. The presence of a ‘young Joe’ haunting his memories serves as a constant reminder that another life, his real dream is still waiting for him. It makes us question whether the American Dream is really about achieving what we want, or simply becoming whoever we need to be to survive.
The live string quartet playing in and out of scenes adds another layer of depth and intensity. There is a delicious, sharp contrast between the peacefulness of the music and the brutality of the boxing, with the music becoming almost a ghost of the life Joe has given up. It reminds us of what is being lost even when Joe is convinced he is finally getting everything he wants.
The performances are strong, particularly from Josh O’Connor, Daniel Mays and Zubin Varla. O’Connor brings a quiet intensity to Joe, capturing the conflict between the young man he once was and the fighter he is determined to become. Mays and Varla bring their own weight and complexity to the world around him. But whilst the performances are compelling, the writing doesn’t always pack the required punch and we are left wishing for a stronger text to support Joe and the other characters. There are moments when the potential is clear, but the writing doesn’t always give us enough to become fully invested in their journeys.
At its heart, Golden Boy asks some big and important questions - questions that many artists, perhaps especially today, continue to battle with. Is financial security worth giving up on your dreams? Who are we if not our hopes and ambitions? And perhaps most tragically, what happens when you finally get everything you thought you wanted, only to realise you've lost the person you were along the way?
There is something deeply unsettling about watching Joe choose one dream over another, knowing that the choice might cost him both. It leaves us wondering if the greatest tragedy of all is continuing to live whilst all your dreams are already dead.
Golden Boy asks us how far we’d go to chase our dreams - and if the price sometimes is too high.
*** Three stars
Reviewed by: A.M.H
Golden Boy plays at London’s Almeida Theatre until 31 Oct, with further info here.
