The theatrical form of "Golden Boy" as a musical is as crisp as a left jab and as jolting as a right uppercut.

One can have nothing but admiration for the snap, speed and professionalism of the style of this musical…. In two of its big production numbers "Golden Boy" is a knockout, not only for the whirling excitement of its action but also for the powerful punch in its comment.

But at the core of its story "Golden Boy" hardly scores at all. Despite its constant reach for the heart, it does not land there convincingly. The blows have all the motion of the dazzling fight scene in savage pantomime, which comes at the end of the musical, and has little genuine impact….

[William Gibson] has come to the rescue of Clifford Odets, his former teacher and friend, and helped to whip into shape the book Mr...