Topdog/Underdog, a darkly comic fable of brotherly love and family identity, tells the story of two brothers, Lincoln and Booth , names given to them as a joke by their father. Haunted by the past and their obsession with the street con game, three-card monte, the brothers come to learn the true nature of their history. Susan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece Topdog/Underdog returns to Broadway for its 20th Anniversary production.
A strong if not entirely satisfying new Broadway revival of Topdog/Underdog suggests another way in which the play bridged two eras or dispensations. Directed with naturalistic brio by Kenny Leon, a seasoned hand with August Wilson, this new Topdog feels closer to a ritual restaging of a consensus classic-i.e., a play by Wilson or Lorraine Hansberry-than to the buzzy re-anointing of a generational talent, creative ancestor of such writers as Aleshea Harris or Jackie Sibblies Drury.
For all of the circularness of 'Topdog/Underdog,' Leon does a great job of finding its dramatic points. With only two actors and a room, the play serves up a harsh account of the ills faced by America's underdogs but does so with enough laughter to help the med-sin go down sweet. Gambling, cheating, stealing - you almost forget they are sins in a play this holy.
2022 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Yahya Abdul-Mateeh II |
2023 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Corey Hawkins |
2023 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Play | Kenny Leon |
2023 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Topdog/Underdog |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design (Play or Musical) | Dede Ayite |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Play | Kenny Leon |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play | Corey Hawkins |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Topdog/Underdog |
2023 | Theatre World Awards | Theatre World Awards | Yahya Abdul-Mateen II |
2023 | Tony Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Yaha Abdul-Mateen II |
2023 | Tony Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Corey Hawkins |
2023 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Topdog/Underdog |
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