80 Minutes and 10 Deaths: The Fight That Started a Riot

In 1908, Jack Johnson defeated Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia, to become the world heavyweight boxing champion. As the first Black man to hold the title, Johnson faced a country that resisted his status. The subsequent decade of white fury led to the deaths of at least 10 Black Americans in race riots. Marco Ramirez’s play, “The Royale,” dramatizes this timeline in an 80-minute production now running at Writers Theatre in Glencoe.

The conflict centers on the 1910 bout between Johnson and retired champion Jim Jeffries. Known as “The Fight of the Century,” the match was viewed through the lens of racial superiority. Jeffries represented the “Great White Hope,” a term coined by Jack London. Johnson’s victory dashed that narrative, triggering a wave of violence against Black communities that lacked Johnson’s celebrity protection.

This production marks the first Chicago staging of the play since its 2015 debut by the American Theater Company. That earlier version starred Jerod Haynes and carried a sense of melancholy. The current Writers Theatre version takes a more athletic approach under the direction of Tyrone Phillips. The cast includes La’Tein Alexander as Jay Jackson, Scott Aiello, Ajax Dontavius, James Vincent Meredith, and AnJi White.

Ramirez structures the narrative into six rounds to mirror the rhythm of a boxing match. The play isolates each fighter in a pool of light, avoiding the need for realistic depictions of punches. A key theatrical device involves AnJi White playing both Johnson’s young sister and the character based on Jeffries. This dual role intensifies the psychological pressure on the lead character.

La’Tein Alexander portrays Jay Jackson with a performance that balances complexity and physical presence. The character is based on Johnson, who lived and owned businesses in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood before eventually leaving the country. The play explores the internal toll of being a famous Black athlete in a nation that feared his success.

The supporting cast provides specific textures to the drama. Scott Aiello plays a nervous but persistent promoter. James Vincent Meredith portrays a weary and knowing cornerman. Ajax Dontavius, who plays Jay’s young sparring partner Fish, brings a mix of ambition and fear to the role. The production is starkly designed by Lauren M. Nichols and lit by Jason Lynch.

Tribune critic Chris Jones notes that the play’s focus on the lead character’s psyche is a strength, though the scale feels limited for the scope of the story. The cast’s energy compensates for the brief runtime. The production is scheduled to run through November 29 at 325 Tudor Court in Glencoe. Tickets range from $41 to $106 and are available at 847-242-6000 or writerstheatre.org.