Written by American playwright and poet August Wilson as the sixth installment in his 10-play Pittsburgh Cycle, so-called because all but one are set in that city, Fences concerns an African-American family in the 1950s. Wilson’s series begins in 1904 and ends in the 1990s, thereby covering all the decades of the 20th century, and so it is also known as The August Wilson Century Cycle. All the action in Fences takes place on the porch and the front yard of a two-story house that needs some work. Top on the to-do list for Troy, the patriarch (Michael A. Shepperd), is building a new fence.
Troy works as a trash collector, doing his best to support his wife Rose (Karole Foreman), high school son Cory (Jermelle Simon) and 34-year-old, ne’er-do-well son from his first marriage, Lyons (Theo Perkins), who requires frequent hand-outs from Dad to afford his wingtips, fancy hairdos and even fancier suits. In his youth, Troy was a remarkable baseball player who had learned the game while in prison for man-slaughter during the commission of a robbery. He’s bitter that his skin color prevented him from becoming a Major League ballplayer. He does more than complain, however, of his “cracker” bosses and how they give all the driver positions to whites. “Ask and you shall receive” seems the message here, since, in short order, he’s promoted— and he doesn’t even have a license.
Though Troy is physically imposing, he’s been weakened by years of disappointment and drink. He lectures— no, berates— Cory about assuming responsibility, even though Cory is all about making something of himself. Meanwhile, off-stage, Troy is pursuing a hot-and-heavy affair, bragging to Rose about how fantastic the other woman is, and fathering a child with her, what many would argue is the height of irresponsible behavior. The tension between Troy and Cory is so palpable, it’s surprising Cory didn’t take a swing at his father much earlier than he did. In contrast, Troy indulges Lyons and barely blinks when his spoiled child tells him, “If you wanted to change me, Pop, you should’ve been there when I was growing up.”
All the actors are superb, including Matt Orduna as Gabriel, Troy’s brother who suffered a disabling head injury, and Christopher Carrington as Jim Bono, Troy’s faithful friend until Troy crosses a line in the sand that Jim cannot abide.
Through all this, Rose remains the moral pillar of the family, sans the bravado of her errant husband. Though both Foreman and Shepperd are powerhouses in their portrayals of Rose and Troy, respectively, in Wilson’s script, Rose knocks one out of the park for her sisters of all races. She steps up to the plate like Troy would never have done, hitting a homerun for women everywhere when she tells him that she’ll raise his baby but he is now “womanless.”
