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Edited and Published by Robert W. McDowell
September 11, 2025 Issue
PART 2 (September 16, 2025)
A FREE Weekly E-mail Newsletter
Covering Theater, Dance, Music, and Film in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill/Carrboro Area of North Carolina Since April 2001.
PART 2A: TRIANGLE THEATER REVIEW BY KURT BENRUD
The Royale at PlayMakers Repertory Company Is a Truly Remarkable Piece, Entertaining and Informative
"Boxing is a lot of white men watching two black men beat each other
up." -- Muhammad
Ali (1942-2016).
Marco
Ramirez'sThe
Royale (2015 Chicago and 2016 Off-Broadway drama) is loosely
based on the real-life experiences of
Jack
Johnson (1878-1946), the first African-American heavyweight boxing
champion, and the difficulties that he had arranging for his famous 1910
bout against the undefeated (white)
James J.
Jeffries (1875-1953).
In The
Royale, the protagonist is named Jay "The Sport"
Jackson, and he has to confront the institutionalized racial segregation
of Jim Crow laws
in order to get a shot at facing a man named Bixby, an undefeated white
boxing champion.
PlayMakers Repertory Company's
current production of
The
Royale, directed by PRC producing artistic director
Vivienne
Benesch, tells the tale in a powerful, stylized fashion.
There are sequences during which we find ourselves in the ring with
Jackson and his opponent. In these scenes, the action is staged and
choreographed so as to suggest that we are seeing everything from the
perspectives of the boxers themselves.
Rather than facing each other, each boxer faces segments of the audience,
giving us the same view that his opponent would have. Rather than
actually landing punches on each other, each boxer delivers his powerful
jabs, crosses, hooks, and uppercuts to the air; and his opponent reacts
as though he had actually been hit. The
verisimilitude
is enhanced by the combined sound effects of foot stomps, fist bumps, and
hand claps (which are further enhanced by the show's sound design).
The Royale stars (from left) Zack Bazile as Fish, Galen Ryan Kane as Jay, and Ray Anthony Thomas as Wynton (photo by Huth Photo)
The Play:
We meet Jay in
medias res as he enters the ring to face Fish -- a younger
African-American boxer. Jay's playful nature is immediately apparent as
he teases Fish during the bout. We also learn a little about each of the
men as we hear snippets of their thoughts. This same scene also introduces
us to Max (Jay's promoter) and Wynton (Jay's trainer). After defeating
Fish, a properly impressed Jay hires him as a sparring partner.
We subsequently witness discussions of the maneuvers and deal-making that
Max has to pursue in order to arrange for the fight between Jay and Bixby,
and we are privy to segments of a press conference during which the
strengths of Jay's character are revealed. It's significant that Jay
volunteers very little information about himself and his background. Does
he have something to hide? Or is he trying to protect someone? Perhaps,
he simply feels that such information is irrelevant.
Pay attention to a woman who, in the earliest scenes, is sitting
above and behind the main action, and note that as the action moves
forward, she moves closer and closer. We eventually discover that she is
Jay's sister (Nina). Her ensuing discussions with Jay, in which she
challenges him to consider his goals and his motives (as well the
possibility of collateral damage and repercussions), suggest that she
represents his conscience.
It is significant that, as Nina enters the main acting area, Fish defers
and departs. Remember: Fish is Jay's sparring partner, so be prepared to
witness some verbal sparring between these two siblings.
Be just as prepared for the finale -- the "fight of the century"
between Jay and Bixby. Who exactly is that in the ring with Jay? And what
is Ramirez trying to tell us?
In case we have failed to catch the metaphorical significance of the name
"Royale," there is a sequence during which Wynton recalls an
event from his past, a situation that conjures up the memory of an
incident in Ralph
Ellison's short story
"Battle
Royal," in which 10 young black men are blindfolded, thrust into
a boxing ring, and told to blindly punch each other repeatedly until only
one of them remains standing. Bruised and bloodied, they are then told to
pay themselves by picking up coins from the floor. (And this is all for
the amusement of the white, male audience.)
Buckle your seatbelt -- in Wynton's story, bloody coins are not the only
prize that he finds in his hands.
Galen Ryan Kane (left) stars as Jay and Ray Anthony Thomas stars as Wynton in The Royale (photo by Huth Photo)
The Acting:
The stylistic nature of this production relies heavily on precise timing
and on intricately choreographed, synchronized moves that create an
almost otherworldly, ethereal representation of what we would consider
everyday activity. Highly skilled and well-directed, this cast delivers.
Galen
Ryan Kane is perfect in the role of Jay. His commanding
stage presence and resounding voice pave the way for expressions of the
character's determination. Be ready for Kane to make you hurt right along
with Jay as he delivers a significant speech to Nina that references
problems that her younger self had been having with self-image.
Zack
Bazile, as Fish, is just as well-suited to his role. A
worthy opponent that becomes Jay's closest friend, Fish is an
Enkidu to Jay's
Gilgamesh.
Matthew
Donahue has imbued Max with the right combination of the
qualities of a used-car salesman and those of a carnival barker.
Tia James
is positively regal as Nina. Nina is ready to go toe-to-toe with Jay, and
James' postures and movements leave little doubt concerning her ability
to hold her own. Nina might be a little shorter than Jay (as well as more
petite), but James' stage presence puts her in the scene on equal footing.
Side Note: As impressive as Kane and Bazile are in their
choreographed stylized boxing moves, remember: When James enters the ring,
James is doing the same movements while wearing high heels.
Ray
Anthony Thomas turns in a flawless performance as the kindly
Wynton, who -- although older and wiser -- remains humble as he defers to
Jay at critical moments. Simply put: Thomas just plain looks right --
features, expressions, mannerisms -- as he creates this character. And be
prepared for Thomas' delivery to tug just a bit on your heartstrings as
he finishes the story of his own personal "royale."
The Tech:
Sound (designed by
Daniel
Baker) and lighting (designed by
Tao Wang) are
phenomenal, creating effects that are both real and surreal as they
intensify the scenes. The in-the-ring sequences are as engaging as they
are breathtaking.
Scenic designer Yi-Hsuan
(Ant) Ma has created a downstage set that easily becomes a
boxing ring and then transforms into more "neutral" locations.
Upstage of the action is an area that suggested to me the urban
equivalent of "a jungle out there."
Placing Nina way back in the background at first and gradually moving
her forward in later scenes.
The heavy-duty punching bag (and the scene in which it "becomes"
a character).
The Royale at PlayMakers
Repertory Company stars Galen Ryan Kane as Jay (photo by Huth Photo)
Memorable Lines:
"That's your new name -- Break-a-Sweat."
"The person most likely to take you down ain't even in the ring."
"It's gettin' hard for me to tell where their opinion ends and yours
begins."
"I'm gonna go do that thing."
"... [J]udging by the first three rows of the audience tonight, I'd
say it's your people who have a propensity for watching."
"Ain't nobody appointed you the spokesperson for Colored People
Incorporated."
"Whatever you choose to do, you do it alone."
"... '[C]ause she ain't never seen no poster looks like her."
"Imma make it right. Imma change things."
The Royale
stars (from left) Ray Anthony Thomas as Wynton, Matthew Donahue as Max, and Galen Ryan Kane as Jay (photo by Huth Photo)
From the Department of Picky-Picky:
We are pleased to report that there are no nits to pick.
I wonder, however, if references to Ellison's story (which also is the
first chapter of his 1952 novel
Invisible Man)
in the program might have enhanced the evening's experience.
All the Cool
People strongly suggest that you attend a performance in the company
of other intelligent people and be sure to make time for discussion
afterwards.
Galen Ryan Kane stars as Jay in Marco Ramirez's
The Royale at PlayMakers Repertory Company (photo by Huth Photo)
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