The Royale

I went to see the Royale last Saturday performed by Cleveland Playhouse.   It is a historical fiction about boxing during the Jim Crow era.   Our protagonist is the black heavyweight champ and he wants to fight the white champ.  This is agreed to, but at a great financial cost which causes bodily fear and incidents in the black community.

The fighting was accomplished via dance moves, specifically krumping.   Timed claps, stomps, and inner monologue are able to produce an amazing fight.  Go see this.

All the Way

Last night Steve and I saw All the Way at Cleveland Playhouse.  It is the first play of the 101st season and it's amazing!  It's only playing through October 9th, so you can still catch it if you hurry.

It's the story of Lyndon Johnson and his accidental presidency after JFK's assassination.  All kinds of political intrigue with J. Edgar Hoover and Martin Luther King Junior.  It's a very fast paced play, that goes into detail of how the Civil Rights Act was passed and the internal turmoil of the Democratic party.  The Democratic party then was much different from the liberal front of today.   They used the constitution as an excuse not to give people equal rights.   Does that sound familiar?

They even had stations to register to vote in the lobby on iPad stations.   This play won two Tony awards and the lead is the understudy of the Broadway original LBJ.   You should really see this.