Fences
If you love theater, you need no introduction to playwright
August Wilson. Born in 1945, he is regarded by many scholars to be
one of the most important playwrights in the late 20th century.
Considering all the awards he received (Rockefeller, Guggenheim,
Drama Desk, New York Drama Critic Circle and two Pulitzers), Wilson's
acclaim is understandable.
Equally astonishing was his mission to write ten plays about the
African-American experience, each one set in a different decade of
the 1900s. And though he never completed school (he educated
himself, inspired by Richard Wright, Langston Hughes and Ralph
Ellison), he completed his goal.
In 2005 the theater world was shocked to learn that Wilson had
inoperable liver cancer; but disciplined and determined as ever, he
finished his last play just six months before his death.
"Fences," arguably the most popular of Wilson's 10-play cycle, is
currently on stage at South Coast Repertory under the superb
direction of Seret Scott. Set in the fifties in the Hill District of
Pittsburgh (where the playwright grew up), it is a knock-out.
From your first glance at Shaun Motley's set (the barren back
yard of some run-down house with an old refrigerator on the porch),
the drama is anticipated. Then when Troy enters--singing and
staggering half-drunk--the tragedy is palpable.
Charlie Wilson's portrayal of Troy is dynamite. As usual each
Friday, he comes home from his job as a garbage collector with a pint
of gin and his pay-check--which he dutifully gives to his wife Rose.
The back story is relayed through long monologues, for which Wilson
is famous, as he banters with Rose and his best friend Bono. Juanita
Jennings turns in a strong, compassionate performance as Troy's devoted,
long-suffering wife; and Gregg Daniels is totally convincing as Bono,
another poor black man who collects the city's trash.
Beaten by his parents, Troy ran away from home and became a thief;
then he spent time in prison, educated himself, and became a star batter in
the Negro League. Because he was rejected by the white community
(before Jackie Robinson changed the rules), Troy is fiercely proud and
deeply wounded.
He's determined to protect his teenage son Cory (Larry Bates)
from the bitter disappointments he endured, but his authoritarian
demands are cruel and destructive--especially when he commands Cory
to turn down the football scholarship he just received.
Meanwhile, an older son from an earlier marriage (Brandon J.
Dirden) comes around each week mooching for money. He claims to be a
musician and drugs are a part of his lifestyle.
Add to that Troy's innocent brother Gabriel (Baron Kelly), who returned
home from the war severely brain-damaged. Gabe wanders the city's
streets carrying a trumpet, and shouting for angels to open the pearly
gates to heaven.
For 18 years Troy has stoically held his family together, but his
inner demons are eating him alive. Secretly he feels guilty because
half of Gabe's war-time compensation helped to pay for his house; outwardly,
however, he will not bend an inch.
As he shouts at Bono, everything inside the fence is his property.
He works hard at a demeaning job to pay the bills, he's in charge, and
he makes all the rules. Anyone who doesn't like it can leave; that includes
Bono, Cory, Gabe and his devoted wife Rose. What happens when all hell
breaks loose tests everyone's strength--both on stage in the drama, and those
who respond to it from the audience.
"Fences" continues at SCR, 655 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa,
through Feb 21. For ticket information, call (714) 708-5555