Josh O’Connor and Zubin Varla in Golden Boy [Marc Brenner]

SET during the Great Depression of the 1930s, Clifford Odets’s 1937 Golden Boy is about the corruption of the American Dream. Joe Bonaparte (Josh O’Connor), the son of an Italian immigrant and a gifted violinist, faces a difficult choice.

His father (Stanley Townsend) wants him to pursue a career as a musician. But 21-year-old Joe is lured by the promise of becoming a prize fighter – the celebrity and quick money sure to follow.

He’s trained by Tokio (Jason Barnett) and taken on by a reluctant fight manager, Tom Moody (Daniel Mays).

At first Joe can’t give 100 per cent, fearful of breaking his hands and losing the ability to play violin again.

When he starts winning and the dollars mount up, everyone wants a piece of him, including the shady, small-time gangster Eddie Fuseli (Zubin Varla).

His brother Frank (Richard Fleeshman) and father try to warn him what he stands to lose – “Life is not printed on dollar bills” – but Joe sees boxing as his path to freedom, seduced by wealth, fame and fast cars, while falling for Moody’s girl, Lorna (Hayley Squires).

Sam Yates’s taut, layered staging contains many magical moments of theatre: the opening of shutters to reveal a live string quartet, a violin case full of dollars as a potent visual metaphor, and a poignant framing device.

As a morality play about chasing easy money it’s a little obvious and Odets’s writing is occasionally melodramatic, but the acting keeps it anchored. O’Connor gives an utterly compelling and nuanced performance and the supporting cast is equally strong.

Golden Boy’s current run is sold out, but here’s hoping a West End won’t be long. Meanwhile, it’s screening via National Theatre Live from November 5.

Until October 31
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