The Theater Project's Knockout Production of 'And In This Corner: Cassius Clay' Concludes Their Summer Season
The Theater Project will deliver knockout performances with its premier production of "And in This Corner: Cassius Clay." The award-winning drama by Idris Goodwin runs August 14 through August 24, 2025, at the Oakes Center in Summit, New Jersey. "And in This Corner: Cassius Clay" explores the early life and struggles of the boxer who became Muhammad Ali, one of the first athletes to epitomize GOAT (Greatest of All Time) status.
"An important part of the story is Cassius Clay having to choose between building a career and speaking truth to power," says Mark Spina, The Theater Project’s artistic director. "We've wanted to do this play for about 10 years now (when the play first premiered)," he adds. The Theater Project was fortunate to be able to mount the large cast show as the centerpiece and final round of its 2025 summer season.
Lambert Tamin, a graduate of The Juilliard School and a Theater Project veteran, will appear in the title role. Also in the cast are Emily Bonaria, Ethan Buchanan, Judah Gray, Gary Martins, Yinka Olagbegi, Ron Richardson, and Daaimah Talley.
"Lambert was ideal for this role (from the start)," says Spina, who first came across the actor while he was in high school studying the craft. "He's very talented and agile. He's a young adult now, but he has a youthfulness and a playfulness where he's very convincing as both the young and mature Cassius Clay," Spina explains. The play follows the rising boxer from ages 12 to 18.
What drew Spina to this particular play, "it's in the vein of 'To Kill A Mockingbird,' in that you really are seeing the story through the eyes of young people," he says. "This play struck us as a perfect (opportunity) to bring young audiences to the theater."
"And In This Corner: Casius Clay" premiered in 2015 when Goodwin wrote the play on commission from Stage One Family Theater in Louisville, Kentucky, in partnership with the Muhammad Ali Center. Its appeal to young audiences was intentional.
"Because this play was first commissioned by a youth-serving theater, a state-owned family theater in Louisville, Kentucky, which is where Ali was born, I knew that the vast majority of the people watching the play were going to be aged 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. And that's the age when young Cassius Clay had his bike stolen."
As the story goes, Clay was inspired to learn how to box after reporting the theft to a police officer and boxing trainer, Joe Martin, who suggested he learn to fight before seeking revenge against the boys who stole his bike.
"Every hero needs a good origin story, right? When did they receive the call? We sometimes think that people fall out of the sky like Superman with all their powers intact," Goodwin says. "And it's not like that. It's more like Spider-Man, actually. You're just going through life and suddenly you feel that there's something inside of you that can make some kind of a difference. It's what you then choose to do with that power."
The story continues with Clay winning his first amateur boxing bout at age 12, just six weeks after starting training. "This is when he starts to have that moment which I think is important for all young people and that is to recognize their potential, the possibility (to do something great)," adds Goodwin.
Against the backdrop of a young Cassius Clay becoming a great boxer is the Jim Crow South and the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement, with bus boycotts and sit-ins at segregated lunch counters taking place, all while he's getting ready to go represent the United States of America at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. He indeed wins a gold medal in the light heavyweight boxing division. This victory launched his career. "And it's all really rich stuff, but this play is about the decisions we make as young people that impact our whole lives as adults," says Goodwin, whose works as a storyteller span stage, screen, audio, and page, from his historical dramas to his catalog of books for young readers. A United States Artist Fellow and seasoned educator, Goodwin has created content for HBO Def Poetry, Sesame Street, and NPR.
"And In This Corner: Casius Clay" takes place Thursday, August 14 and 21 at 10 AM; Friday and Saturday, August 15-16 and August 22-23 at 7:30 PM; and Sunday, August 17 and 24 at 2 PM. A post-show discussion after the first performance will be led by Rev. Dr. Forrest M. Pritchett, a longtime civil rights leader and director of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Leadership Program at Seton Hall University. He will engage the audience in a talkback about the Civil Rights Movement from the period of the play through the present. A study guide is also available.
Founded in 1994 and based in Union, New Jersey, The Theater Project introduces audiences to new plays and supports rising playwrights and theater artists. “We seek out stories that reflect the issues of our times, and with our post-show discussions, demonstrate theater's power to discuss challenging issues,” Spina says.
"And In This Corner: Casius Clay" is more than an "issue-oriented" play. "It is a show about family," says Spina, "because young Clay has the support of his family, he has the support of his friends, and his network in the community." At its core, "it's a coming of age story, which I think many people (young and older) relate to," he adds. "We all remember those moments in our lives where we felt like we discovered our vocation, our calling, whatever it was. So, I think this is a very relatable story (for that reason) as well."
General Admission is $35. Tickets are available at $20 for students and $28 for seniors ($23 for select performances). Friday, August 22, has been designated as a “Pay What You Can” night. To purchase tickets and to learn more about the production of “And In This Corner: Cassius Clay,” visit https://www.thetheaterproject.org/and-in-this-corner-cassius-clay.
