• Golden Boy (ゴールデンボーイ)

3/4/26 (Wed)

A chance reference online led me to this YouTube broadcast of the full stage musical from a Tokyo production of September 1988, starring Nishikiori Kazukiyo from the then-popular Shonentai boy band. It was released in video back in the day by Warner Brothers Pioneer, but I was surprised to find a free download online, a rarity for a star vehicle in Japan. In any case, I had never seen this rarely produced musical in any language, so I immediately took a look. It is a revival of a production that starred another pop star from the Hikaru Genji group, but this is the one that was preserved.

This is a Showa Era production in every way, for better or worse. The 1964 show was adapted from the famed Depression Era play by the original playwright, Clifford Odets, who tailored the material specifically to Sammy Davis Jr. The original story centered on an Italian-American in a working-class family who was lured away from his musical aspirations by the monetary promise of a boxing career. Odets turned the character to a black man in contemporary Harlem, which inevitably meant a shift in focus from class to race, especially given the star’s activism at the time. It was a big hit on Broadway thanks to Davis’ popularity (though it lost money anyway due to the high costs involved) and had a healthy run in London as well at the massive Palladium, again starring Davis. But it has not had a major production since in the absence of a similar box office draw. The racial element, including a then-daring white/black romance, has conversely dated it; a limited-run Encores! presentation some years back had a tepid reception. Still, the Strouse/Adams score has much to offer, and the material offers some great staging opportunities.

The appeal for the Japanese was pretty clear: a strong male lead, the boxing theme, melodrama, the numerous dance sequences. They removed a lot of the contemporary and black references, which dulls the edges of the show. It gives more emphasis to Joe’s plight as working class, bringing it back in a way to the original play. I smiled at Joe’s line that while the father represents yesterday, he represents tomorrow – recalling the famous Japanese manga Ashita no Joe (Tomorrow’s Joe), also about a boxer. Still, the racial side is an integral part of the show and unavoidable. The production touches upon it without digging too deeply. There’s a beautiful moment, highlighted in the video, where Joe brings his hand close to Lorna’s and notes the contrast in color. That was more affecting than the dialogue.

The show needs a charismatic star, and it had one in Nishikiori. The 23-year-old commanded the stage with unflagging energy throughout, from the inventive opening dance to the climactic boxing scene and subsequent tragedy. The show was in safe hands. Utsumi Kenji was also impressive as Joe’s worried father, managing ably to avoid overkill in a potentially melodramatic role. Others were variable, especially the women. The actors, including the lead, were basically playing Japanese rather than “black” in their acting and dancing, which was probably for the best. No one is going to mistake this for an authentic portrait, but the fact that they behaved like normal Japanese rather than cultural stereotypes at least made it feel like a standard drama.

The choreography was completely boy band-type movement from that era, which was perfect for Nishikiori. Again there was no attempt to replicate black dancing or manners, so we’re basically watching Little Tokyo rather than Harlem. The “Don’t Forget 127th Street” number was performed by the original Broadway cast on Ed Sullivan, and that contrast is especially hilarious. “Stick Around”, sung on the cast album by Davis, was sung here by the black promoter. I’m not sure if the book was rewritten to accommodate that, but it felt right.

What was eye-opening here was the makeup: the Harlem characters were blacked up considerably, to a degree that could be construed as blackface. That comes mainly from cluelessness rather than bad intentions, and the needs of the plot in any case require a clear dividing line between whites and blacks, not least in the romance, to highlight the discrimination angle. The visual clue contributes in delineating the stakes between the two sides, and while it may be overdone to an extent, this is the land of Kabuki, where exaggerated makeup is the norm. Recent productions with a black element, like Hairspray, are apparently forbidden from any identifying makeup, so the characters have to express the difference in stereotypical gestures and movements, which may have the opposite effect. I wonder if some compromise is possible, though the hypersensitivity of the perpetually offended makes that unlikely. In any event, it works in the context of the show, and nothing in the acting or presentation is offensive in the least.

The show itself could stand some reworking, especially the confused character of Lorna. The romance with Joe is not convincingly presented and is not helped by her songs. Odets died during the development of the show and was replaced by his friend, the estimable William Gibson (of Miracle Worker fame), but the juggling that was needed to shift from Italian ethnicity to black life apparently proved problematic. Still, the show is an enjoyable riff on the basic theme of art versus money – explored similarly in the later Merrily We Roll Along – and its characters are compelling. While the contemporary references do drag it back to the 1960s and limit its performance prospects both at home and overseas, the book and score deserve more credit than they’re given. I hope to catch a US version of this some day, but this will do perfectly well for now.