A boxer faces a dilemma in ‘The Royale,’ and a dream quartet comes to Bucks County

The boxer faced an almost unbearable dilemma.

If he, a Black man, knocked out the reigning white champion, he would win the title. But at what cost? In the Jim Crow days of racial segregation, “the consequences would be bloodshed and death across America … a direct consequence to the optics of a Black man beating a white man,” said Phillip Brown, the actor who plays boxer Jay Jackson in Lantern Theater Company’s production of The Royale by Marco Ramirez, directed and choreographed by Zuhairah McGill. Brown also directs the theater program at Shipley School in Bryn Mawr.

The Royale is based on the true story of fighter Jack Johnson and the title comes from a brutal fighting tradition that harks back to the day Black people were enslaved. In a “royale,” blindfolded Black men would climb into the ring and swing at each other until only one remained standing. The last man standing won the money thrown into the ring by the white elite in the audience, Brown explained. When enslavement legal, Brown added, “Boxing was also a blood sport – fought to the death.”

Fighter Jack Johnson was haunted by the knowledge of the consequences of a potential victory. “To be the first of anything is almost unimaginable,” Brown said. Being first, in whatever endeavor, has consequences, both positive and negative.

In the boxer’s case, “the optics would be more positive for his people than negative. Yes, we may lose some, but we’ll gain so much more,” Brown said. “We are capable and strong, and stronger than our oppressor in the ring. That would pay off in a far greater way, than not going in the ring so we don’t face the backlash.”

He said he has always been drawn to boxing but had never done it until he started to train for the part.

“Growing up, my identity as a Black man was very much connected to our great sports heroes,” he said. “At the time, Muhammad Ali was the heavyweight champion of the world. He inspired me and captured my imagination as a young man with how confident he was, how charismatic he was … and his courage to stand by his spiritual and moral beliefs … I felt empowered by who Muhammad Ali was.”

(Through Dec. 11, “The Royale,” Lantern Theater Co., St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St., Phila. 215-829-0395 or lanterntheater.org)

How amazing would it be if Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins got together for a jam session? It actually happened. On Dec. 4, 1956, this group of music greats met up at Sun Records in Memphis and jammed all night. It won’t be all night in New Hope where the Bucks County Playhouse is putting a holiday twist on Broadway’s Million Dollar Quartet, staged in 2010. The Playhouse’s Million Dollar Quartet Christmas will be directed by Hunter Foster, who played Sun Records founder Sam Phillips on Broadway. Colin Escott, who wrote the book for the Broadway jukebox musical, wrote this Christmas version. Expect lots of holiday favorites, including “Blue Christmas,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” and “Jingle Bell Rock.”

(Nov. 18-Jan. 1, “Million Dollar Quartet Christmas,” Bucks County Playhouse, 70 S. Main St., New Hope, 215-862-2121 or bcptheater.org)

The two actors who alternate performances in the role of Tina Turner are the stars of Tina — The Tina Turner Musical at the Academy of Music, part of the Kimmel Cultural Campus. But locals may also want to check out Chris Stevens in his role as John Carpenter, an executive at Capitol Records.

Stevens was born in Elkins Park and then crossed the river to finish high school at Triton Regional High School in Runnemede. This isn’t his first time performing at the Academy of Music; in 2014 he was a part of the Mamma Mia cast that performed there. Theatergoers may also remember seeing him at the Walnut Street Theatre in South Pacific or Shrek.

(Nov. 22-Dec. 4, “Tina —The Tina Turner Musical,” Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St., Phila., 215-893-1999 or kimmelculturalcampus.org)

No pumpkins, glass slippers, or fairy godmothers were involved in Kathryn Brunner’s transformation from stagestruck young girl to professional actor. But the Walnut Street Theatre was. Brunner, who plays the lead in Cinderella at the Walnut, started with classes at the Walnut’s Theatre School. Brunner, a graduate of Upper Moreland High School, also took the lead in Legally Blonde: The Musical. Walnut’s production of Cinderella, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s classic, will include a cast of 22, an orchestra, a flying fairy, and the fun transformation of a pumpkin into a carriage.

(Nov. 22-Dec. 31, “Cinderella,” Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St., Phila. 215-574-3550 or walnutstreettheatre.org)

Attention Jane Austen fans: The Stagecrafters in Chestnut Hill presents a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. Austen wrote her beloved novel in 1813. Prolific playwright Lauren Gunderson penned Miss Bennet – Christmas at Pemberley in 2017. Gunderson’s sequel focuses on Mary, the middle sister of the five in Austen’s novel and the one thought to be too bookish and too much of a loner to be marriage material. But something changes during the Christmas holidays when Mary visits her older sister, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth’s husband, Mr. Darcy, at their magnificent estate of Pemberley.

(Nov. 25-Dec. 11, “Miss Bennet – Christmas at Pemberley,” The Stagecrafters, 8130 Germantown Ave., Phila., 215-247-8881 or thestagecrafters.org)

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