Story thread · 2 reports / 2 sources

Golden Boy review – Great Depression boxing melodrama swings between hope and despair

theguardian.com · 13h · first reportShare

Almeida theatre, London Josh O’Connor makes a powerful return to the stage as a New York violinist driven by dire straits to risk everything in the ring Clifford Odets proved himself a contender during the Great Depression but has grown unfamiliar on this side of the Atlantic. Here is a rare outing for his 1937 drama, bolstered by the stage return of Josh O’Connor after a decade on screen. He plays Joe Bonaparte, a New York violinist who, after years of careful endeavour, dismisses a precarious career in music to turn a quick buck as a boxer – risking his precious hands in the process. He is spurred on by a zealous manager, Tom, who even deploys his own lover, Lorna, to keep him satisfied. O’Connor transforms seamlessly as Bonaparte who hardens, bout by bout, with a resolve he deems fitting for the desperate 30s. His professional success and emotional spiral are observed by an anxious father, who irresistibly hymns music over money, and the ruthless gangster who has bought a stake in h