Urban World

Sucker Punch

Roy Williams
Royal Court Theatre June – July 2010

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."

I had the pleasure of seeing ‘Sucker Punch’ on Saturday the 19th of June, and I was thoroughly impressed. It was press night at the Royal Court Theatre, so I was seated with a room filled with undercover journalists; myself included and I was pleasantly surprised at how the set had been designed. The usually conventional Royal Court stage had been transformed into an operational boxing ring. What made it more unique was the fact that it was staged almost ‘in the round’, not unlike Shakespearean staging. This was unusual but definitely added excitement as the action took place in the centre adding a 3 dimensional effect for the audience. This play is something I would consider to be the product of a lot of hard work, and it shows. Williams himself admits it took about 5 years from initial concept to finished script because he was "desperate to get the story right". And get it right he did, with an explosive storyline following two black youngsters from London on their quest to become boxers in the 80’s. The story documents their experiences of racial tension in the height of Thatcherism, how friendships can be pulled to breaking point.

Without giving away too much of the storyline, Williams does a wonderful job of capturing this era; and this is reflected in his authentic use of 80’s dialogue. Williams states that, "as a kid growing up in the 80s I followed boxing. There weren’t that many black sportsmen as role models and of those they were usually boxers or footballers”. This play at first glance sounds like it would be filled with cliché boxing moments, and a lot of ‘made for film’ scenes; but Williams has approached this concept with a lot of savvy and made it highly enjoyable for an original theatre experience. Williams highlights the similarities between boxing and theatre as “boxing matches are a shows of sorts, they’re very theatrical with lighting, costume, music; on what is essentially a ‘stage’- these theatrical aspects were easily transferable to the stage".

This is evident when the play comes alive with some extremely strong performances from the two leading actors, Daniel Kaluuya [Leon] and Anthony Welsh [Troy], whom I thought were fantastic throughout. Even their mini Afro’s were fantastic touches to the overall 80s feel. Kaluuya at one point displays a tremendous amount of physical strength and talent by delivering a lengthy monologue whilst skipping. It sounds quite simple, but it was spectacularly entertaining from an audience point of view. Williams describe the casting process as "vast" to find the right actors to play Leon and Troy, however the main characters were both cast significantly early in order to give them time to train their bodies, learn boxing skills and increase their stamina for these physically demanding roles. To further add authenticity, they trained under the guidance of ex European Champ-turned trainer Errol Christie.

The dramatic fight scenes were also very realistic, without coming across corny; something that is extremely possible when recreating sport in a theatre. It was very well directed by Sacha Wares, with assistance from Errol Christie [boxing trainer] and Leon Baugh [choreographer]. Williams stated that’s he was happy to give the reins over to director Wares as "She had a strong vision and collaboration allowed for spectacularly authentic scenes."

Sucker Punch provided a valuable incite into a variety of dynamics that occur in a boxers rise to fame, examining the changing relationship with his trainer, friends, girlfriend, family etc. The play had an almost biographical feel, and could have been the story of anyone of the great black boxers of the last century.

I would more than recommend you go and see Sucker Punch at the Royal Court Theatre, for those who don’t feel like major fans of theatre; it’s not your usual theatre experience. It was thoroughly a great show, that’s has received glowing accolades from critics and audience members alike. You’ll love the performances and effects, and above all else it might inspire you to want to dance around boxing rings like Muhammad Ali!

I would give this play 9/10.

"Right, you know the rules, watch the low blows, if it’s a knock down, no messing about, go straight to your corner, and don’t come out till called for, are we clear? Touch gloves, let’s go." Sucker Punch.

Written by Vicki Elliott and Travis Prosper

Sucker Punch is showing at The Royal Court Theatre until July 24th 2010.