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.
'I am a brother playing Lincoln. It's a stretch for anyone's imagination,' explains an early-middle-aged Black male who makes a living impersonating Abraham Lincoln (with a suit, beard, top hat, and whiteface makeup) as part of a bizarre arcade attraction where patrons can reenact Lincoln's assassination in 'Topdog/Underdog,' Suzan-Lori Parks' gritty, Pulitzer Prize-winning drama of sibling rivalry, which is now receiving an excellent 20th anniversary Broadway revival starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II ('The Trial of the Chicago 7') and Corey Hawkins ('In the Heights').
Reviving a classic the caliber of Suzan-Lork Parks' Topdog/Underdog, which deserved and won a Pulitzer Prize in 2001, is a bit like a high-stakes version of three-card monte. There are so many ways that the contributing elements, no matter how distinguished the contributors, could surface to throw the game. In this production, every single aspect turns up a winner.
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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