The bard celebrates two other fine practitioners of the art, and laments a lost brewer
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The Royale, Barbican London
Boxing as a powerful metaphor for deep-rooted racism in the US
KNOCK-OUT PERFORMANCE: Shaka Kalokoh as Jack Johnson
This right-wing conspiracy theory is used to justify the coercive measures against gender, race and labour rights that best serve capitalism, attests GAVIN O’TOOLE
KENNY MONROSE recommends a new exhibition that highlights the significance of Black British music
ANGUS REID is bowled over by an exuberant film about the making of Keith Jarrett’s legendary concert
MARIA DUARTE, FIONA O’CONNOR and ANDY HEDGECOCK review Savage House, Enzo, Madfabulous, and Erupcja
CHRIS SEARLE recommends a work of love and deep admiration for a great musician
LIKE The Gift, currently playing at Theatre Royal Stratford East, Marco Ramirez’s play offers a thoughtful and necessary engagement with black history.
Set in the first decade of the 20th century, The Royale’s focus is US boxer Jack Johnson, the “negro” world heavyweight champion.
But while he might be the best boxer at his weight on the planet, he can’t fight for the title because the reigning heavyweight champion won’t get into the ring with a black man.
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GORDON PARSONS is disappointed by an unsubtle production of this comedy of upper middle class infidelity
This is a concert of ambition and courage by organist and improviser Wayne Marshall, says SIMON DUFF
When Patterson and Liston met in the ring in 1962, it was more than a title bout — it was a collision of two black archetypes shaped by white America’s fears and fantasies, writes JOHN WIGHT
WILL STONE applauds a fine production that endures because its ever-relevant portrait of persecution