The Royale Reviews

Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended

"...In 1908, in Sydney, Australia, the American boxer Jack Johnson defeated the Canadian Tommy Burns to become world heavyweight champion of the world, becoming the first Black man to hold that title. But although widely regarded as one of the best defensive boxers who ever lived, Johnson is best known for his later participation in "The Fight of the Century," a 1910 bout with the retired heavyweight champion Jim Jeffries that was perceived in racial terms as a quest for masculine superiority; Jeffries was to whom Jack London was referring when he wrote of "The Great White Hope.""

Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended

"...This is a bio-play that homes in on its theme without concern for everything it leaves out or fictionalizes for efficiency. Everything here is minimal, as boxing matches tend to be. Lauren M. Nichols' set is little more than wood planks, a brick background and a punching bag or microphone. The boxing scenes barely require any clothing, although costume designer Gregory Graham provides period-specific garb elsewhere that tells quite a bit about differences in characters' class status, or at least their aspirations to it."

Daily Herald - Highly Recommended

"...Running through Nov. 29 at Writers Theatre, “The Royale” is a fictionalized tale inspired by boxer Jack Johnson, who became the first Black heavyweight champion of the world during the early 20th century. But Ramirez’s 2013 play is not a typical bio-drama. It’s an unflinching, artfully conceived examination of the ripple effects one Black man’s triumph has on those around him and society at large, a point director Tyrone Phillips underscores in his dramatic coda that reveals the consequences of Johnson’s victory."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Writers Theatre’s production of The Royale is a total TKO, serving up a ringside seat to a bare-knuckled fight for life, dignity, and the pursuit of a lick-back. Set at the turn of the 20th century, the fictionalized story loosely chronicles the life and rise of the first Black world heavyweight boxing champion, Jack Johnson, aka the Galveston Giant."

Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended

"...Marco Ramirez's compactly formed 2013 play The Royale now on stage at Writers Theatre. is a riveting, emotionally charged work that imagines Jack Johnson, the boxer once known as the Galveston Giant, leading up to his historic fight with the formerly undefeated white heavy weight champion of the world in what was billed as the fight of the century. It was the height of the Jim Crow era and there was a strict color line for pugilists that Johnson broke ushering in a new era in boxing. In his time white and black men did not fight in a ring."

Let's Play Theatrical Reviews - Highly Recommended

"...The Royale offers an authentic look into a volatile time when Black people sought to climb the ladder of success, only to be reminded that their skin color mattered more than th content of their character. It's a spectacular blend of boxing and historical events that dramatizes the trials and tribulations of dreams realized and deferred."

Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...If you are a fan of the art of "boxing", you will find Writers Theatre's production of "The Royale", written by Marco Ramirez, spellbinding from beginning to end. This play is inspired by legendary boxer Jack Johnson and his rise to become the first African-American to become the heavyweight champion of the World. While boxing may not be my favorite sport, this story is one that gets to you and the actual sport is less important than the spirit and desire."

Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended

"...Based upon the life of American boxer John Arthur Johnson, nicknamed the "Galveston Giant," Marco Ramirez's THE ROYALE tells the story of fictional prizefighter, Jay Jackson. His play focuses on the fight of Jackson's life as he not only challenges the retired White Heavyweight Champion, but also the racism that smoldered and sadly divided this country in the early 1900's. In Tyrone Phillips' exceptional production, enhanced by superb technical support, including Gregory Graham's period perfect costumes, and performed by an incredibly gifted cast, Writers Theatre continues their 35th Anniversary Season with a nail-biting Clash of the Titans."

Buzz Center Stage - Highly Recommended

"...Writers Theatre scores a knockout production with Marco Ramirez’s 2013 play, The Royale. Under the direction of Tyrone Phillips, we see this widely-produced script (it played New York’s Lincoln Center a decade ago) executed to perfection. Centered on boxing legend Jack Johnson, it follows a fictionalized version of his story. In 1910 Johnson became the first Black world heavyweight champion by besting James Jeffries, the reigning heavyweight, who was white."

Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended

"...In The Royale, playwright Marcus Ramirez retells the story of the Jack Johnson-Jim Jeffries fight on July 4, 1910, in Reno, Nevada. Johnson won that fight by a TKO in round 15, and it set off racial violence across the country. White mobs attacked Black citizens, committing horrific murders and lynchings to reinforce white supremacy despite Johnson's superior athletic ability. An excellent cast at Writers Theatre recreates the time leading up to the fight."

Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended

"...In the long, racist history of professional sports, there are athletes whose names have entered the pantheon of monumental game-changers: Moses Fleetwood Walker played professional baseball in the 1880s, the only Black athlete to make the majors until 1947, when Jackie Robinson became the second. Tennis phenom Althea Gibson broke the color barrier by becoming the first Black winner of the French Open in 1956. And boxer Jack Johnson - the son of formerly enslaved parents - was the first black heavyweight boxing champion of the world, knocking out the white defending champ in 1908."

PicksInSix - Highly Recommended

"...The great pioneer boxer Jack Johnson, whose early life is the model for the exhilarating production of the Marco Ramirez play "The Royale" now playing at Writers Theatre in Glencoe through the Thanksgiving weekend, once said: "If you see what is right and fail to act on it, you lack courage." This could have been posted all over the theatre as a guide for anyone who needed inspiration to battle past their challenges. It is rare that one can see a play or a film and not point out-if only to themselves-a flaw in its presentation, something that could be criticized for its failing."

Evanston Roundtable - Highly Recommended

"...What motivates a fighter to achieve greatness? What motivates a Black fighter to challenge the reigning world boxing champion who happens to be white in the Jim Crow era of the 1900s? These questions provide the underpinning to The Royale, now playing at Writers Theatre in Glencoe, based on the true story of Jack Johnson, the first Black heavyweight champion of the world."

NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...Staging violence is a process worthy of its own dissertation, a blend of professional wrestling and good old fashioned magic. But how do you stage boxing, a sport with nothing to hide, while keeping your actors safe? In Writers Theatre's dynamic production of "The Royale" by Marco Ramirez, director Tyrone Phillips keeps everyone safe by leaning into the dancelike elements of fighting, working with movement director Rasell Holt to translate boxer Jay Jackson's matches into a series of stomps and claps from the ensemble."