“Despite the relatively small role of his character, Joe, the Greenville S.C. native leads the cast members because of his rendition of the show’s signature song, “Ol’ Man River…”

“It’s in the baritone resonance of Phillip Lamar Boykin as Joe that this Showboat gets its linchpin performance.”

” And then there’s Phillip Lamar Boykin as Joe.  Boykin has as a volcanic, warehouse bass. He is the best actor I have ever seen in the part and can handle comedy..and of course he sings Ol’ Man River, Magnificently. Breathtakingly. Memorably.”

When Phillip Lamar Boykin sings “Ol’ Man River,” you know there’s something larger than life upon the stage.  That’s the feeling you get from Boykin’s rumbling voice, from his outsize frame, from the generosity of personality you can almost reach out and touch.