Going for Gold at Park90, Park Theatre

Inspired by the true, little-known story of boxer Frankie Lucas, the London premiere of Going For Gold follows the young Black sportsman as he navigates the complexities of a hostile Britain in1970s London. The play charts the joys, trials and setbacks in pursuing his dream of sporting glory. After winning the British Amateur Boxing Association Middleweight Title (ABA) in 1972 and 1973, a place representing Great Britain in the 1974 Commonwealth Games seems assured but when he’s not selected, Frankie returns to his roots competing for Saint Vincent winning Gold for the island of his birth and defeating the man selected in his place on the way. But Frankie’s bigger battles are outside of the ring where his spirit and determination are tested to the limit as he confronts the intricate politics of boxing, the weight of his ambitions, and the pressing needs of his family in a story of identity, belonging and the meaning of success that asks what we fight for and what we hold onto. The cast will feature Llewella Gideon with Nigel Boyle, Jazz Lintott and Tinashe Darikwa as an alternate, Daniel Francis-Swaby and Cyril Blake.