Going for Gold by Lisa Lintott. Park 90, Park Theatre, 13 Clifton Terrace, London until30 November 2024, 3☆☆☆. Review: William Russell.

Photo Credit: James Potter.

Going for Gold by Lisa Lintott. Park 90, Park Theatre, 13 Clifton Terrace, London until 30 November 2024,

3☆☆☆. Review: William Russell.

“Powerful but flawed play.”

The performances of the cast in this account of the life of the boxer Frankie Lucas are very good indeed but the play leaves one sadder but not much wiser about the man. He was one of the Windrush generation and came here from St Vincent to live in Croydon where he took up boxing, but when it came to taking part in the Commonwealth Games he was not eligible in spite of having been ABA middleweight champion two years running. The reason was simple – he was black. Frankie and his mentor Ken Rimmington, who ran the boys club in Croydon where he trained, got round that by somehow or other managing to set up a St Vincent Amateur Boxing Federation and Frankie went to the Games winning a gold medal and defeating the British contestant. He then embarked on married life, had a son, and a career as a boxer under the trainer George Francis. But he was a difficult young man, had mental problems and all did not go well. Lintott's play is far too long and by the time towards the end of Act Two when the ageing and sick Frankie reaches some kind of rapport with his son, which is possibly the heart of his story, one has grown tired of him, impossible as he was and just wishes it all to end so one can go home.In other words one was punch drunk.  Directors  Philip J Morris and Kanthus have secured fine performances from the cast and there is a clever set by designer Erin Gunn which lets us see Frankie's living room, the offices of his trainers and the boxing ring in which he fought with success, although not the success he thought he deserved. In fact he only had 17 professional fights before succumbing to mental difficulties. Jazz Lintoff as Frankie spars splendidly and Llewella Gideon as his wife Gene is warm and sympathetic telling about a man who must have been a trial to live with. Maybe Lintott got just too close to the story. There is the winning the medal against the odds story or the trials of a boxing life story and the two simply do not combine into a successful whole, something not really helped by the productions boast that this is a story about a boxer one has not heard of. John Conteh, his contemporary, is a coloured British boxer who became a household name – one did not have to be much interested in boxing to have known who he was - but Frankie never really was a name outside the profession and there he was known for being susceptible to a cut eye and difficult. The play has won awards but one does feel that has more to do with the subject than the reality of the play itself because it is awkwardly constructed and far too long – and some of the awards have to be due to the skills of the players making it better than it really is. Sadly a story worth telling is not the knockout it could have been.

Cast

Llewella Gideon – Gene.

Jazz Lintoff – Frankie Lucas.

Nigel Boyle – George.

Cyril Blake – Ken.

Daniel Francis-Swaby – Michael.

Tinashe Darkwar – alternative Frankie.

Creatives.

Directors – Philip J Morris & Xanthus.

Production Designer – Rupert Charmack.

Lighting Design – Cheng jung.

Sound Design – Lo-Wu.

Movement Director – David Gilbert & Ruoert Charmack.

Photography – Andres Reynaga & James Potter.

Theatre, play.                      14 November 2024.

Photo Credit – James Potter.