National Theatre Live screening of Clifford Odets' 'Golden Boy', with Josh O'Connor leading the cast and a live string quartet, at the Gloucester Guildhall.
National Theatre Live brings Golden Boy to Gloucester Guildhall on Thursday 5 November, as part of the venue's Event Cinema programme. It's a filmed production of Clifford Odets' American drama, captured live at the Almeida Theatre in London, so you're seeing the stage performance as it happened rather than a recorded version edited for the screen.
Josh O'Connor leads the cast in this revival, and if you recognise him from The Crown or Challengers, you've got a good sense of the kind of presence he brings to a role. He plays Joe Bonaparte, a gifted young violinist in 1930s New York, right at the height of the Great Depression. The story follows Joe as he's lured away from the violin and into the brutal world of professional boxing, and the tension between those two lives — the music and the ring — sits at the heart of the play.
It's directed by Olivier Award winner Sam Yates, who also did Vanya, and the production is staged with a live string quartet that plays alongside the action. That quartet isn't just background music; it's a constant presence throughout the show, mirroring Joe's own musical roots and the life he's trading for the boxing ring. Having it there live, rather than as a recording, gives the whole thing a different energy.
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The screening starts at 19:00 at Gloucester Guildhall, 23 Eastgate Street, GL1 1NS. Tickets are £16.25 for adults and £13.50 for concessions.
