BY Bob Fischbach
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Published Friday September 19, 2008
John Beasley's performance in "Fences" is so incredibly good, you can imagine that those lucky enough to catch it will talk about it for decades.
The Pulitzer-winning drama by August Wilson, directed by Beasley's son Tyrone, opened last week at the John Beasley Theater to a well-deserved and noisy standing ovation.
Beasley stars as Troy Maxson, an embittered garbageman whose dreams of a professional baseball career were thwarted by racism.
Set in 1957 Pittsburgh, "Fences" is one of 10 Wilson plays that span the 20th century and chronicle the black experience in America. When the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., presented all 10 last spring, Beasley played featured roles in three - including Troy Maxson in "Fences" - and got warm notices from the Washington Post and USA Today.
No wonder. He captures Troy's earthy good humor as he teases his wife; his love of spinning a good tale; his ethic of hard work and responsibility.
But he also plumbs the depths of anger, frustration and a stubborn defiance of death itself that was born of broken dreams. We see what Troy can't - what his bitterness is costing him in every facet of his life.
Great as he is, Beasley is not the only reason to see this show.
Wilson's great gift was that he could write so specifically about the black experience, yet create characters who speak to the universal human experience.
So I found myself thinking of my father during an angry exchange between Troy and his teen son, Cory. Cory wants to play college football, but Troy won't let him skip work at the A&P for football practice, and he won't sign papers allowing recruiters to visit. He tells Cory he doesn't have to like him, only to feed and shelter and parent him.
Troy doesn't see how the world has changed, and he won't have his son disillusioned by pro sports the way he was. The split between them opens a split in Troy's marriage as well, as he ominously keeps a count on his son: That's strike one. That's strike two. Don't strike out, boy.
I thought of my mother in a scene in which Troy's wife, Rose, says she made a mistake in the beginning of their marriage when she failed to stand up for what she needed. At a turning point in their 18-year partnership, Rose spells out for Troy both the depths of her love for him and the price she has paid for staying true. It's a gripping and heartbreaking moment.
A solid supporting cast includes standouts TammyRa as loving and long-suffering Rose and Dayton Rogers in an impressive debut as Cory. Rogers began a bit stiffly in fearful obedience, but he matched Beasley toe to toe in the scenes of defiance and confrontation.
Also good: Clifton Hobbs III as Lyons, Troy's easygoing son from a previous relationship; Andre McGraw as Troy's brother, Gabriel, who suffered a head injury in the war; Carl Brooks as Troy's friend and co-worker Bono; and Nadia Williams as Troy's young daughter, Raynell.
The simple fragmented set - a front porch and yard - puts the emphasis on the words and performances, and that's just fine. In examining a life unfulfilled, they are powerful enough on their own.
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