Plot Synopsis: The Royale

Below is a full synopsis of the plot of Marco Ramirez's The Royale. We recommend you don't read this until after seeing the play, as it will spoil what happens for you.

The Royale takes place at some point between 1905 and 1910, in various cities in the United States. 

Scene 1 

“And now, the fight you came for.” An announcer introduces two boxers as they step into the ring: Purley “Fresh Fish” Hawkins is a young man making his professional fighting debut. He faces the Negro Heavyweight Champion, Jay “The Sport” Jackson, who the crowd adores. Jay’s trainer Wynton is there supporting him. Full of swagger and confidence, Jay asks Fish how many rounds he wants to make it before Jay finishes him. Fish holds his own in round one as the two trade blows. During the break between rounds, Jay’s promoter Max points out to him the two men sitting in the front row. Jay starts to land bigger blows on Fish in round two but the younger man hangs in the fight. In round five, Fish lands a couple good hits on Jay, leaving the champion staggered. Wynton insists Jay take Fish seriously. “You so worried about winnin’ this crowd, you up and forgot to win this fight.” Jay rallies back and in round seven, he knocks Fish out cold. 

Scene 2 

In the locker room after the fight, Wynton talks to Max about how popular Jay has become, drawing more people to his fights than the reigning white heavyweight champion, Bixby. The two men in the front row were Bixby’s representatives, but Max insists they were only there as a courtesy. Bixby has retired and won’t accept an invitation to fight Jay. A white heavyweight champion has never fought a Black man. Although Max is meeting Bixby’s reps for drinks later, he downplays expectations of it amounting to anything. Jay, however, insists Max get him a shot at the heavyweight title or he’ll find a new promoter who can. Fish is summoned to the locker room and is surprised to see Jay there. Fish thinks Jay called him back just to taunt him some more like he did in the ring, but Jay instead asks Fish to be his sparring partner. Wynton tells Fish he’s better than each of the seventy-six other opponents Jay has defeated. Fish negotiates a raise and accepts the offer to join Jay’s team. Max returns agitated after having met with Bixby’s representatives. He reminds Jay that champions only come out of retirement when the financial incentive is strong, win or lose. Bixby’s team said he would consider fighting Jay if he got 3 months of prep time and 90% of the fight’s revenue. Max thinks it’s an outrageous request that Jay should refuse, but Jay wants to accept the terms anyway. With it being such a hotly anticipated fight, Jay is passing up a fortune if he lets Bixby take home 90%. Jay won’t budge and sends Max out to agree to the fight. When Jay asks Wynton if he disagrees with his decision, Wynton says no and that he would have fought Bixby for free. Alone, Jay drops his persona and shows emotion and vulnerability for the first time. 

Scene 3 

Jay is practicing with Fish in a gym and also participating in a press conference. Wynton coaches him in both settings. Max introduces Jay to the reporters and begins to take questions. A reporter asks Jay racist questions such as if he thinks Black people “have a predilection for fighting”. Another asks Jay about his background and upbringing, with conflicting reports about where he was born and where his family is. Jay avoids answering any of the personal questions. Someone asks if Jay wants to fight Bixby solely because he’s white. Jay responds “I’m comin’ at him because he’s The Champ, that’s all. Ain’t about bein’ no Heavyweight Champion of the White World. It’s about bein’ champion, period.” Another reporter asks him about the news that four men, two white and two Black, were hospitalized after a fight over whether Jackson or Bixby was better. The reporter wants to know if Jay feels remorse for what happened to those men. Jay cautiously responds that it’s going to be hard for some people to accept that the best fighter in the world looks like him and not Bixby. But he insists the story shouldn’t be about how he or Bixby look or where they’re from, but about how they fight. Jay tries to end things there but someone yells out that four white men with guns were stopped trying to get into the press conference. This is news to Jay but he insists that he has no concern for his personal safety. 

Scene 4 

In the locker room, Wynton tells Fish he saw the young man give an envelope to someone outside and is worried that Fish is conspiring against Jay. Fish is offended, saying that the envelope was payment for a gift he got Jay—and that he has out of loyalty turned down many tabloid reporters offering money for info on the star boxer. Wynton insists he was just being cautious after the contentious press conference. Fish reveals to Wynton that he found a flyer from Jay’s first fight describing him as the “Pride of Creek County”—as an example of information he knew and has never told anyone. Wynton tries to compliment Fish and that he’ll be in the ring someday, but Fish, still insulted, asks what’s in Creek County. Before Wynton can answer, Jay storms in with Max, upset that he just learned about the men with guns. Max insists he was keeping Jay safe and didn’t want any distractions in Jay’s head. Max then accidentally reveals that this wasn’t the first instance of men trying to bring guns in somewhere Jay is, and Wynton confirms that there have been threats made on Jay’s life in several cities before this one. Jay feels betrayed and accuses Wynton of working for Max instead of him.  

Scene 5 

Jay is alone, practicing by himself, hitting a boxing bag to the point of exhaustion. Fish enters the locker room and shares the news that the fight with Bixby is oversold so Fish gave his ticket away to his grandaddy to see it in person. Fish plans to listen to the fight on the radio down the street at a bar. He also says that Bixby has just arrived at the venue, and Wynton and ten policemen are checking the venue for any hidden guns. Fish then gives Jay the gift he got him, a gramophone, knowing how much Jay likes to give his opponents “a little music.” Fish cranks the gramophone and the actor who plays Wynton sings a song. Jay and Fish join in singing. The song suddenly cuts off when a woman enters the locker room. It’s Nina, Jay’s sister. Fish leaves the two alone. Jay asks Nina if she’s staying for the fight, which has sold seven thousand seats and will be broadcast live in thirty-nine states. Nina says her train home is in an hour. She shares that everyone back home is proud of Jay, and she shows him a picture of his two nephews. One of the boys is into books and a new one he ordered arrived in the mail this week with something offensive written on the cover page, directed at them for being related to Jay. Jay is horrified but Nina pushes him on whether he understands the consequences of what his fight will be. Jay insists he is safe and protected at the fight. Nina asks about the safety of regular people when Jay beats Bixby. Jay asks her if she is telling him to lose. She replies “I don’t want you to lose, I’m just afraid of what happens when you win.” Jay can’t accept this, saying that he didn’t come all this way to lose. Nina tells him that everyone is already so proud of him, and then she leaves when Wynton enters. Jay tells him about what Nina said and wants Wynton to tell him he can and should win this fight. Wynton tells Jay about The Royale, a kind of fight he got his start in years ago. A bunch of Black men would be blindfolded in a ring and have to fight each other until only one was left standing while spectators threw money at them in the ring. The winner got a minute to fill his pockets with as much of the money on the ground as he could. Wynton won his second time at The Royale and when he emptied his pockets at home he found among the coins teeth from the other fighters. Wynton reminds Jay that a fighter is alone in that ring and whatever he chooses to do, he does it alone. 

Scene 6 

The announcer rings the bell and begins to introduce the big fight. Wynton is watching ringside, while Fish is at the bar down the street. Jay “The Sport” Jackson is introduced first and Bernard “The Champ” Bixby second. The lights however come up on Jay’s opponent and we see Nina standing in place for Bixby. Round One begins and Bixby lands several good blows on Jay before Jay begins to strike back and even the playing field. During the break, Wynton implores Jay to make Bixby earn that 90%. As Jay continues to fight Bixby, he speaks to Nina about a memory he has of her. How the pharmacy in their town featured ads in its windows but the ads never depicted Black women. One time when Jay was nine years old, he found his sister had burnt off her hair trying to look like the pretty white ladies in the ads. That’s why he has to fight, he wants to change things. As Jay continues to get the upper hand on Bixby, Wynton cheers him on while Nina describes the mood in cities around the country where racial violence is about to be unleashed. The fight builds to a climax and Jay knocks out Bixby. Nina starts to retreat but stops to tell Jay about a white man with a knife walking into a bar down the street where he sees a happy young Black man, Fish, asking the bartender to turn up the radio. Fish is stabbed to death. Max introduces to the audience the new Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Jay “The Sport” Jackson. Wynton reminds Jay to keep his head up and Nina says to Jay “whatever happens, you did it.” Jay takes a breath and then another as the claps build.