– “Whenever I hear “Ol’ Man River,” Joe’s big song, I hear echoes in my head of Paul Roberson and William Warfield- two great basses I have heard in the role. Now I will hear Boykin’s stunning bass voice. He is superb.”

“And Boykin, an opera and gospel singer, brings humor, gravity and much-needed substance to the part of the deckhand Joe.“

“Clearly the star Tuesday evening was big-voiced Phillip Lamar Boykin, who portrayed Joe, the show boat’s black stevedore.”  Boykin, who possesses a resonant bass, did wonderful things to Ol’ Man River several times.  “His voice practically chook the theater’s rafters and not surprisingly, he stopped the show with his emotional rendition.“

“And its hard to imagine a voice stronger than that of Phillip Boykin, who sang the best rendition of “Ol’ Man River” that I can remember.  Boykin with barrel-deep bass, exhibited exceptional control, even as his voice dived down to the depths on the last word of the line, “Get a little drunk and you land in jail.”

“If you love Jerome Kern’s decades-spanning catalog of America popular music, you’ll hear it pretty well”.. especially “Ol’ Man River,” “With his huge upper body, his warmly doleful countenance, his playful manners in Queenie’s kitchen and that supple, confident voice, Boykin is a vision of black manhood as mythic as any in Faulkner.“

“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.