Mike Tyson’s and Spike Lee’s Broadway Play

Tyson said nothing will be off limits in the one-man play and that he will deal with all aspects of his life, including his troubled upbringing, his rocky marriage to Robin Givens, his fighting career, and the prison term.

[Theater]
 
Judging by his easy-going, relaxed and funny performance at the press conference to announce a new play about his life, Mike Tyson may actually pull it off when he hits Broadway.

The former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, better known for knocking his opponents senseless with a vicious uppercut or left hook, stars in “Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth” an autobiographical play directed by Spike Lee and produced by James L. Nederlander, for a limited Broadway engagement.

The play runs from Tuesday, July 31 through Sunday, August 5 at the Longacre Theater. Tickets, ranging from $75 to $199 went on sale today on www.telecharge.com. There are also $300 VIP tickets which include a “meet and greet” and photo-op with Tyson after the show.

The former champ said the play sold out when it had a brief run in Las Vegas and that Spike Lee approached him about a Broadway debut when someone sent him a tape of the performance there.

Lee said he had always wanted to get involved in Broadway and that this may be the first of many more plays to come. “This isn’t Denzel Washington playing Mike Tyson; this is Tyson playing Tyson,” Lee said, adding that the play captured a range of emotions and touched on many aspects of Tyson’s life including the challenges he faced, from marital woes to his imprisonment on a rape conviction.

Tyson
said he was motivated to do the play by his wife Kiki Tyson, who is
executive producer and along with Randy Johnson co-writer. Kiki sat with
members of the media at the news conference; she stood up to be
recognized at the behest of her husband. “I get all gushy when I talk
about her,” Tyson said, adding that he hopes the play will help launch a
career in the theater.

When asked whether he would consider an exhibition fight in an African country, Tyson said: “My boxing days are over. Fighting is for wusses.”

Tyson said nothing will be off limits in the one-man play and that he will deal with all aspects of his life, including his troubled upbringing, the rocky marriage to Robin Givens and the prison term.

“I’ve learned that I really don’t know myself,” he said, when asked about lessons from the play. He said when he thinks and focuses just on himself things don’t always turn out right; he has better results when he’s focused on his wife and his family, he said.

Tyson made history when he became the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history on November 22, 1986 when he defeated Trevor Berbick by KO in two rounds; he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old.

He held the crown and destroyed opponents until his first defeat at the hands of Buster Douglass on February 11, 1990.

For more about the play please visit www.tysononbroadway.com.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.telecharge.com or over the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling Telecharge at (212) 239-6200 or (800) 432-7250.  Please note that tickets purchased online or over the phone may be subject to additional service fees or processing charges.

Tickets are available for the following performances: 
July 31 and August 1 at 8pm 
August 2 at 6:30pm (opening night) 
August 3 and August 4 at 8pm 
August 5 at 7pm

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