Two men looking at forward, unsmiling and yellow text Two men looking at forward, unsmiling and yellow text

Topdog/Underdog

A Canadian Stage Production

By Suzan-Lori Parks
Directed by Tawiah M'Carthy

An electric revival of a modern classic

A darkly comic fable of brotherly love and sibling rivalry. Lincoln and Booth are brothers haunted by their past – as well as their names. When Lincoln gets a gig impersonating his namesake, Booth takes over his brother’s old racket as a three-card monte dealer. This beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning play is a tangle of secrets, lies, and one-upmanship, where the stakes get higher and higher, and someone’s bound to end up on top.

Suzan-Lori Parks, widely considered one of the most adventurous and acclaimed playwrights of her generation, won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Topdog/Underdog, a piercing examination of family identity and the ways we are defined by history. Hot off the heels of a wildly successful Broadway revival, we are ecstatic to be producing a brand new production of Topdog/Underdog directed by Tawiah M'Carthy.

EXTENDED STAGE SEATING

The Baillie Theatre will be transformed during Topdog/Underdog, offering extended Orchestra Seating to allow the audience to experience this play as it was meant to be seen. Please see the updated Baillie Theatre Seating Map for the exact layout. PLEASE NOTE: please refer to this map when selecting your tickets as it may appear different than the ticket selection map. None of the new extended orchestra seats are obstructed/partial view. Contact the Box Office for further details.

The greatest American play of the past 25 years – The New York Times
It's a theatrical event that demands to be seen right here, right now.  – Variety

This production contains content which may be sensitive in nature, including gun violence and death. 


Set Designer

Costume Designer

Lighting Designer

Sound Designer

Stage Manager

Assistant Stage Manager

Production Dramaturge

Card Trick Consultant

Dialect Coach

Topdog/Underdog is generously underwritten by David W. Binet

The first production in our 23.24
season is underwritten by
Sandra Simpson in recognition
of her generous gift to Canadian
Stage’s Transformation
Campaign

Topdog/Underdog is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.

Original New York production by The Joseph Papp Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival, George C. Wolfe, Producer.

Produced on Broadway by Carole Shorenstein Hays, Waxman/Williams Entertainment, Bob Boyett, Freddy De Mann, Susan Dietz, Ina Meibach, Scott Nederlander, Ira Pittelman, Hits Magazine, Kelpie Arts, Rick Steiner/Frederic H. Mayerson, The Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival.

 

Currently Playing at Canadian Stage

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