PHILADELPHIA, PA — A powerful story of brotherhood, rivalry, and survival is coming to Philadelphia’s Old City, bringing together three acclaimed local theater artists for a new staging of one of the most celebrated works in contemporary American drama.
Arden Theatre Company will present Topdog/Underdog, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Suzan-Lori Parks, from Oct. 29 through Dec. 13 on its Arcadia Stage. Directed by three-time Barrymore Award winner Amina Robinson, the production stars Philadelphia actors Akeem Davis and George McGriff as two brothers whose complicated relationship unfolds through humor, conflict, and the struggle to build a better future.
The production arrives in Philadelphia following a run at People’s Light in Malvern, where the same cast and creative team brought the story to audiences in Chester County. The collaboration gives theatergoers in both communities an opportunity to experience the work in different performance spaces.
At the center of Topdog/Underdog are Lincoln and Booth, two Black brothers whose names were given to them by their father as a joke. Now adults sharing a single room, they navigate a relationship shaped by affection, resentment, competition, and the circumstances of their lives.
The street con game of three-card monte becomes a recurring element in their struggle, reflecting questions of power, opportunity and survival.
Parks made history in 2002 when Topdog/Underdog earned her the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, making her the first Black woman to receive the honor.
“Topdog/Underdog is one of those plays that reveals something new every time you encounter it,” Robinson said. “Suzan-Lori Parks has created two unforgettable characters whose humor, pain, and resilience stay with you long after the play ends.”
Robinson said the partnership between the Arden and People’s Light offers a particularly meaningful opportunity for Philadelphia theater artists.
“To bring this story to life with artists from People’s Light and Arden is incredibly exciting because it reflects what makes Philadelphia’s theater community so special…a willingness to collaborate, challenge one another, and create work that’s bigger than any one institution,” she said.
Davis, who portrays Lincoln, is familiar to Arden audiences through performances in The Mountaintop, Intimate Apparel, King Hedley II, The Lehman Trilogy, and several other productions. He received a Barrymore Award for Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Play for A Doll’s House in 2018 and directed the Arden’s 2026 production of Good Bones.
McGriff, who plays Booth, is making his Arden debut. A Temple University graduate, he has performed with several regional companies, including the Wilma Theater, EgoPo Classic Theater, InterAct Theatre Company and South Camden Theatre Company.
Robinson previously directed the Arden’s Romeo and Juliet, Intimate Apparel, Once on This Island and School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, among other productions.
The creative team also includes scenic designer David P. Gordon, costume designer Leigh Ivory Clark Paradise, lighting designer J. Dominic Chacon and sound designer Caroline Eng.
Terrence J. Nolen, the Arden’s producing artistic director, said the collaboration provides an opportunity for the actors to develop their performances across an extended regional run.
Between the productions at People’s Light and the Arden, Davis and McGriff are scheduled to perform the play 89 times.
Amina Robinson’s staging also places the story in Philadelphia, giving the production a local connection beyond the artists performing it.
Event Details
- What: Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks, directed by Amina Robinson and starring Akeem Davis and George McGriff
- When: Previews begin Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. Opening night is Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. Performances continue through Sunday, Dec. 13, 2026.
- Where: Arden Theatre Company, Arcadia Stage, 40 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
- Cost/Tickets: Single tickets start at $32, with prices varying by performance. Special discounted performances are also available.
- More Info: Tickets and performance schedules are available at https://purchase.ardentheatre.org/EventAvailability?EventId=19001 or through ardentheatre.org. Tickets may also be purchased by calling 215-922-1122.
Beyond its regular performances, the Arden has scheduled several opportunities for audiences to engage with the production and its artists.
A pay-what-you-choose final dress rehearsal on Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. will benefit the Urban Affairs Coalition through in-person donations.
Post-show discussions with members of the Arden’s artistic team are scheduled for Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. and Dec. 10 at 7 p.m.
Young Friends Night on Nov. 19 will offer networking and a pre-show talkback for professionals ages 40 and younger. Teen Night on Nov. 21 will feature $15 tickets and a post-show discussion for ages 13 to 18.
The theater will also host a free Accessibility Open House on Nov. 6 at 5:30 p.m., giving visitors an opportunity to learn about services and resources designed to make live theater more accessible.
Additional accessibility options include caption glasses beginning Nov. 10, open-captioned performances on Nov. 20 and 21, and audio-described performances on those same dates.
For audiences who saw the production in Malvern, the move to the Arden offers an opportunity to experience the same actors and creative vision in a different theatrical setting. For Philadelphia theatergoers encountering the play for the first time, the production brings a Pulitzer Prize-winning examination of family, identity and survival to the heart of Old City.
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