Review Roundup: THE ROYALE Opens at Lincoln Center Theater

Lincoln Center Theater welcomes McKinley Belcher III, Khris Davis, Montego Glover, John Lavelle, and Clarke Peters to the stage in its production of The Royale, a new play by Marco Ramirez, directed by Rachel Chavkin, opening tonight, March 7, at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater (150 West 65 Street).

Loosely based on the real-life experiences of Jack Johnson, the first African-American heavyweight world champion, The Royale tells, in six rounds, the fictional story of Jay "The Sport" Johnson (to be played by Khris Davis), a charismatic Negro Heavyweight Champion.

It's 1905 and as Johnson faces his opponents -- and confronts his demons -- he exposes the troublesome events in his life that have propelled him into the ring with a burning desire to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

Let's see what the critics had to say...

Ben Brantley, The New York Times: That this production never deploys real physical blows in recreating life in the ring is by no means to say that it doesn't pack a punch. Staged with a swift, stark lyricism by the impossibly versatile Rachel Chavkin, "The Royale" boldly takes on and reorients a familiar genre and a familiar tale...Though they engage us unconditionally, none of the performers provide a full, idiosyncratic character. But that kind of portraiture is not the intention here...For the great subject of "The Royale"...is the selfish single-mindedness required of champions, and the repercussions such a focus has when it's exercised by a black man in a white man's world. Mr. Davis embodies this point of view with a stunning, arrogant innocence that charms and, in a subliminal way, terrifies.

David Cote, Time Out NY: Not a single flesh-on-flesh punch lands in Marco Ramirez's intensely focused boxing drama, yet it's like you see the blood and teeth flying and hear the crunch of broken ribs. In The Royale, the endless sucker punch of a historically racist society is the chief means of violence. Words are another, and they come fast and furious in a percussive script that also uses hand claps and foot stomping to symbolize the brutal dance of pugilists in the ring...Ramirez (benefiting from director Rachel Chavkin's innate musicality) deftly sketches his version of Johnson in Jay, endowed with tremendous grace and charm by Khris Davis...The big showdown is handled in a fairly ingenious and surprising manner. It connects and it bruises.

Frank Rizzo, Variety: Sometimes the most powerful fights are the ones we have in our own minds - a fact vividly depicted on stage in "The Royale," a riveting play by Marco Ramirez ("Daredevil," "Orange is the New Black"), getting a hell of a workout Off Broadway...this is a spare and intimate story of internal struggles, propelled by the dynamic, imaginative direction of Rachel Chavkin and performed by a terrific quintet of actors, led by a charismatic Khris Davis as the great black hope...Ramirez depicts his fictional fighter...with quietness as well as bravado as Jay grapples with the profound meaning of what his actions mean to others, and to himself.

Joe Dziemianowicz, New York Daily News: Newcomer Khris Davis brings muscle and fine acting chops as Jay. Montego Glover ("Memphis") adds steely passion as his concerned sister. John Lavelle, Clarke Peters and McKinley Belcher III lend fine support as the boxer's agent, trainer and sparring partner...Rachel Chavkin...replaces typical jabs and hooks with claps and stomps and makes you look at fight scenes with fresh eyes...The terrific performances and the striking, stylized staging deliver one-two punches.

Jeremy Gerard, Deadline: Ramirez allows the relationship between Fish and Jay to deepen as they train for the match. Much of the dialogue among the four men has the rhythm of jazz; the words and actions punctuated by syncopated clapping and stomping...Rachel Chavkin, an inventive and keen director best known for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet Of 1812, knows her immersive theater and she also, on the evidence, honors writers...The Royale has heart and a conscience, and it's unquestionably the work of a writer still finding his voice. Like his champion Jay, he's got style.

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Photo Credit: T. Charles Erickson