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"Fences" is a powerhouse of a play, and Pioneer Theatre Company's production is a knockout.
August Wilson's talky play offers a Shakespearean-scaled role in the lead character of Troy Maxson, and Michael Anthony Williams bites into the character with terrific force, his graceful performance both subtly understated and distinctively larger than life.
Wilson's "Fences" is an important story in the way it digs deep to reveal the plight of African-American men in the 20th century, as well as the story of the complications uniting and dividing one blue-collar American family. "Fences," with James Earl Jones creating the role for the 1987 Broadway run, remains an essential American story, still relevant against the racial tensions that rose to the surface during last year's presidential campaign.
Under guest director Timothy Douglas, Williams conveys a crackling, cocky chemistry with his best friend, fellow garbage man Bono (Jeorge Bennett Watson), and a loving fondness with his long-suffering wife, Rose (Gayle Samuels).
Williams' Troy is verbally fierce, if not physically threatening, in confronting his sons, the older Lyons (Biko Eisen-Martin), a musician who's also something of a lazy hustler, and the football-obsessed Cory (Jimmie "J.J." Jeter). Troy's mentally ill brother, veteran Gabriel (Jefferson A. Russell), is richly befuddled, his obsessive finger gestures revealing what his words can't.
One of Douglas' most powerful, haunting directorial choices comes in the last act of the play, and while it would be a spoiler to reveal what happens, Williams makes the choice masterful in the way it reveals the scope of his character.
Just as terrific is Tony Cisek's set design, in creating a tree-shaded back porch and yard of a two-story house, complete with that great theatrical sound effect of a solid-slamming screen door. Brenda Van Der Wiel's costumes are evocative of the story's late-1950s setting, with Rose dressed in a housewife-perfect range of everyday calico aprons and waisted dresses with flared skirts. Michael Gilliam's light design is lovely, but doesn't convey the push forward of the story's timeline as much as it could. I wish the lighting had made clearer distinctions as varying amounts of time pass between scenes.
Pioneer's production could be perceived as a national bellwether, as it's the first regional theater to open "Fences" since the Christmas release of Denzel Washington's headline-making movie adaptation. And it's likely that some in the local theater audience will take on the artistic challenge of comparing stage and big-screen versions.
Some of the complications of the production rest in Samuels' mannered portrayal of Rose. Her performance is not-a-hair-out-of-place graceful, yet the actor doesn't reveal the character's emotional depths, which makes it hard for theatergoers to completely understand her motivations. On opening night, Samuels didn't help us feel her love of her flawed husband, or quite come to understand why she takes on the challenge he brings her after his great betrayal.
Also complicated dramatically is Williams' relationship with his younger son, Jeter's Cory. Williams deftly conveys Troy's bitterness over the racism that stopped his own baseball dreams, but doesn't seem quite physically threatening (yet) when he thwarts his son's football hopes. It could be that the actor doesn't convincingly look like a high-school football player, or it could be that the onstage physical tension will likely be ratcheted up over the course of the run.
The opening-night audience offered applause at scene breaks, as Utah audiences are wont to do, but that appraisal interrupted the unfolding of the emotional plot.
Overall, "Fences" is Troy's story, and Williams offers an authentic, nuanced performance, both fierce and compelling. "You got to take the crookeds with the straights," his son recalls his daddy telling him, and he remains a man you can't look away from.
August Wilson's 'Fences'
You can't take your eyes off Michael Anthony Williams' Troy Maxson in "Fences," in a Pioneer Theatre Company production (directed by Timothy Douglas) that remains relevant and richly appointed.
When • Reviewed Friday, Jan. 6; plays through Jan. 21; 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday matinees
Where • Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, 300 S. 1400 East, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $25-$44, $5 more day of show (group pricing available); K-12 students eligible for half-price tickets for Monday and Tuesday shows; 801-581-6961 or pioneertheatre.org
Running time • Two hours 35 minutes, including 10-minute intermission