Sucker Punch

Synopsis

In the red corner: Leon Davidson - Black British champ or Uncle Tom? In the blue corner: Troy Augustus - American powerhouse or naïve cash cow? Two former friends step into the ring and face up to who they are. Sucker Punch looks back on what it was like to be young and Black in the 80s and asks if the right battles have been fought, let alone won.

Our Review:

Michael Coveney - 21 June 2010

The Royal Court has been transformed into a boxing ring for Roy Williams’ new play, Sucker Punch. A new circle has been built to face to the old one, so we look down on the ring, and the punch bags, and the utilitarian chairs in the gym, where the old trainer Charlie (Nigel Lindsay) is putting the white welterweight hope (Jason Maza) through some punishing routines as we take our seats.

New corridors are plastered with cuttings of forgotten matches and champions. This amazing transformation by designer Miriam Buether comes at a price. The audience sections are alienated from each other. My recycled stalls leather seat was excruciatingly uncomfortable, jammed in at the end of a row. And the, in effect, awkward traverse staging and over-microphoned actors (why?) make a jumble of much of the text.

Most crucially, you miss almost all of the main man Leon’s terrific spotlight speeches about his early fights, full of detail and colour, in a sort of “bi...

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Latest User Review

Sue - 3 August 2010:

If this ever comes around again I will advise all my friend with teenagers to see it. I was lucky enough to see this on its last day. My son was thrilled and humbled as he thought theatre was for posh people. Great acting from all concerned especially the two leads. We heard every word....

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