Fetch Clay, Make Man – Location, Tickets, Reviews
New York Theater Workshop presents Fetch Clay, Make Man from award-winning playwright Will Power and two-time Tony Award-winning director Des McAnuff through October 13, 2013.
This play is a fictionalized account of the true, yet unlikely, friendship between world-renowned prize fighter Muhammad Ali and controversial movie star Stepin Fetchit, a man 40 years older than Ali and infamous for depicting damaging stereotypes of black men in Hollywood movies. The play is set in 1965, Cassius Clay is freshly converted to Islam and in the process of changing his name to Muhammad Ali, newly married, and prepping for his high-stakes rematch with Sonny Liston for the heavyweight title. Fetchit’s expanding role in the boxer’s life at this critical moment exacerbates tensions with Ali’s existing cadre. Concurrently, issues of race, religion, justice, and equality rise to the surface in this character-driven drama.
LOCATION
New York Theatre Workshop
79 East 4th Street, New York City
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RUNNING TIME
2 hours 5 mins, 1 intermission
TICKETS
$80 (click here for ticket)
DATES
Performances through October 13, 2013
REVIEWS
Entertainment Weekly
Credit McAnuff for a high-polished production.
The Hollywood Reporter
This crowd-pleasing production by the New York Theatre Workshop seems a strong candidate for a Broadway transfer.
Newsday
Subtle ideas implode into soapy confrontations, as political history turns simplistic and preposterous distractions dim the spotlight.
NY Theater Now
Will Power has written a great character-driven play.
New York Times
One Boxed Himself In, One Boxed His Way Out.
New York Daily News
A vintage snapshot led to a taut and complex tale drawn from boxing history.
NY Theater by Jonathan Mandell
It’s as if the playwright doesn’t quite know how to turn his premise into a full-length play.
TheaterMania
Des McAnuff shows restraint in his direction, striking a nice balance between dramatization and historical storytelling.
Time Out New York
Will Power (Flow, The Seven) returns to NYTW with a drama about the unlikely bond between two black icons of different generations: the explosively charismatic boxer Muhammad Ali and the evanescent, now-vilified comic actor Stepin Fetchit. Des McAnuff directs.
CAST & CREW
(partial list)
Written by Will Power
Directed by Des McAnuff
Featuring Ray Fisher, K. Todd Freeman, Anthony Gaskins, Nikki M James, John Earl Jelks, Richard Masur, Jeremy Tardy