Clifford Odets' classic American play Golden Boy will be down for the count when the play's run ends Aug. 22. Golden Boy began performances July 22.

Odets' tale of Joe Bonaparte, a working-class kid from New York who turns his back on the violin to slug it out for money in the boxing ring, is directed and co-produced by Stephen F. Macias.

Like his co-producers Michelle Archer and Diane Murphy, Macias comes to this production from the world of television, He is Director of Development for Michael I. Levy Enterprises.

Odets wrote a string of successful, socially conscious plays in the 30s and 40s, including Waiting for Lefty, Awake and Sing and Rocket to the Moon.. In the 50s he got called up as a communist in the blacklisting probes and became a "friendly" witness, naming names before a HUAC hearing. He never wrote another play with the bite and passion of his earlier plays, though in the mid-60s he did co-write a musical version of Golden Boy with Strouse and Adams. It was produced on Broadway with Sammy Davis Jr. in the lead.

At the Zephyr Ophir Adar stars as Joe Bonaparte. His lover, Laura, is portrayed by Julianne Christie. Others in the cast include Ric Mancini, Joey Nader, Peter Allas, Bix Barnaba, Robert Catrini, Chris Codol, Pete Hasty, Erik Holland, Ajgier Kirkland, Aloysius Murphy, Fred Ornstein and Jennifer Rade. Golden Boy plays through Aug. 22 at the Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Ave. Call (323) 951-9545 for information.

-- By Sean McGrath
and Willard Manus