‘And in This Corner … Cassius Clay’ captures essence of boxing champ and humanitarian

Lambert Tamin stars in “And in This Corner … Cassius Clay,” which The Theater Project is presenting in Summit through Aug. 24.

We are in Louisville, Kentucky, in the mid-1950s. The young Cassius Clay — who would change his name to Muhammad Ali about a decade later — has not yet even put on a pair of boxing gloves. But he is already supremely confident in himself. When his younger brother Rudy and their mutual friend Eddie are arguing about if The Lone Ranger could beat Tarzan in a fight, or vice versa, and Cassius is asked for his opinion, he responds, “
I’ll beat ’em both. They just cartoon superheroes. I’m a real superhero.”

And when he is told there are no “Negro superheroes,” and that there might never be one, he says, “You looking at one, like Superman.”

This might have sounded ridiculous in another play. But this one — Idris Goodwin’s 2016 “And in This Corner … Cassius Clay,” which The Theater Project is currently presenting at The Oakes Center in Summit, in its New Jersey premiere — is, obviously, about a real person. And we all know that that real person came as close to seeming like a superhero, inside and outside of a boxing ring, as is humanly possible.

Keeping with the superhero theme, “And in This Corner … Cassius Clay” — directed, here, by The Theater Project’s artistic director, Mark Spina — is basically an origin story, portraying Clay from about the age of 11, until he gets a shot to win the heavyweight title from Sonny Liston, at 22. Lambert Tamin, who portrays Clay — and impressively mimics his voice and his mannerisms, and even his boxing moves — also plays the late-in-life Ali, who serves as a kind of narrator, speaking in rhymes, as Ali sometimes did. But the meat of the play has to do with Clay’s discovery of boxing, his embrace of the sport, and his rise in the boxing world.

Lambert Tamin, right, and Yinka Olagbegi co-star in “And in This Corner … Cassius Clay,” which The Theater Project is presenting in Summit.

Those years are 1953 to 1964, which gives Goodwin the perfect backdrop to make “And in This Corner” more than just a sports story.

The world is changing, with a war for Civil Rights being fought on many fronts. (Newspaper headlines from the era are featured in the set design, and attest to the tumult of the time; see photo at top of review). Clay has to decide who he is going to be: someone who fights for himself, or someone who fights for others. Or, as he says, in one of the play’s most moving moments, 
”Maybe I can be both kinds: Fight for himself, and the people who can’t.”

Amen to that.

Rudy (Ethan Buchanan) clearly loves and looks up to his older brother and is, in a way, his first fan. Eddie (Judah Gray), meanwhile, is a budding activist, and challenges Clay to live up to his potential in every way. At one point, Eddie crystalizes this aspect of the story with a well-sung rendition of Sam Cooke’s Civil Rights Era anthem, “A Change Is Gonna Come.”

Key moments in Clay’s evolution include meeting Joe Martin (warmly portrayed by Gary Martins), a cop who becomes his boxing mentor; and the day he stood up to the towering, glowering neighborhood bully Corky (played with impressive menace by Yinka Olagbegi). Clay’s parents Cash (Ron Richardson) and Odessa (Daaimah) are, naturally, skeptical of his boxing dreams, but are loving and, ultimately, supportive.

Emily Bonaria and Brian Nowak play multiple roles, including mean Louisville racists. They do a good job of conveying these characters’ seething rage.

Lambert Tamin, left, and Gary Martins in “And in This Corner … Cassius Clay.”

Driving beats — often played by Rudy and Eddie, by slapping their hands on their thighs — help evoke the rhythm of boxing, the relentless pace of Clay’s rigorous training, and the passage of time. When Clay is sparring, or boxing, ropes are stretched across the stage, representing one side of a boxing ring.

I would assume that since Goodwin focuses on Clay’s teen years and includes, in the play, a lot of explanation of the history of the 1950s and the 1960s, he had teen audiences in mind. But I was totally engaged with “And in This Corner … Cassius Clay,” and would recommended it for audiences of all ages.

Certainly, it has a message that should resonate with all of us. And, obviously, Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali was a person who eternally fascinates people not only of all races, but of all ages.

He has been portrayed, already, in other plays and films, of course. But with a well-constructed script to work with, a strong supporting cast, and a solid all-around production, Tamin really seems to capture his essence in a way that few others have.

The Theater Project will present “And in This Corner … Cassius Clay” at The Oakes Center in Summit through Aug. 24. Visit thetheaterproject.org.

____________________________