Review: FENCES at Everyman Theatre - It's a Home Run

"Death is nothing more than a fastball on the outside corner of the plate," says the powerful father figure of FENCES, Troy Madson. It's a line to remember, as is the character of Troy, played by the big and proud and talented actor Alan Bomar Jones in Everyman's production of FENCES by the late August Wilson. Wilson wrote ten plays, one per decade of the 20th century and FENCES is the piece that handles life in the 1950's, specifically 1957. I remember 1957. Associate Marketing Director has two informative articles in the Everyman program. One entitled "Baseball's Color Line" and the other "More Than Just Happy Days... A Look Into America 1957." I loved the television shows "Gunsmoke", "The Danny Thomas Show", and "I've Got a Secret". There were no shows that featured anyone of color. In music, at the top of the music charts were Elvis Pressley, Pat Boone, and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Wilson liked to us as background for is plays, the streets of Pittsburgh. FENCES deals with Troy, a successful public servant, a sanitation worker, who works hard for a living, delivers his pay check to his lovely wife of eighteen years Rose (the spectacular Joy Jones) every Friday and drinks his pint of gin, and has aspirations of "driving" the sanitation truck one day (a much sought-after position for obvious reasons). No man of color had ever got the job until Troy successful made the transition. It was a proud moment for him.

Troy's life was complicated. Early on he had a son out-of-wedlock ,Lyons (a wonderful yet underused Gary-Kayi Fletcher) who often comes home seeking to borrow money. He's a talented musician yet his father seems to refuse to ever watch him perform. Troy served 15 years in prison for a murder and his best friend is Bono (the talented Jason B. McInstosh) who served time with Troy.

He was a successful baseball player in the Negro leagues at time when they were not welcome in the Major Leagues and Troy's always comparing himself to the White players who were not as talented as he was.

He has one son with Rose, Cory (Braydon Simpson who graduated from the Baltimore School for the Arts and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts) who must always call his father, "Sir", like he was in the Marines. Check how meticulously dressed he is (thanks to Costume Designer David Burdick). His shirt are always pressed and tucked into his pants and is Converse All-Stars and cordovan loafers look like they are just out of the box.

Cory's brother is Gabriel (Bryant Bentley who almost steals the show with his spectacular performance) who has shrapnel in his head from the war and wears a trumpet around his neck and gets arrested a lot due to his medical incapacity. Troy is his only savior.

At the end of the play, Cory confides with Rose that he has been with another women who dies during childbirth. Rose is left taking care of the young girl she never had, Raynell (played by Gabrielle Nance and Indigo Bleu Turner at various performances).

Rose has asked Cory to build a fence in their rear yard and the building of the fence takes the whole play. The question becomes does she want to keep Troy IN or keep others OUT.

There are many amazing scenes between Cory and his son. The most famous involves Cory's question to his father "Do you like me?" Cory answers in a way that may be surprising to many. "I don't HAVE to like you, " he yells. But he does have a responsibility as a father to feed him, clothe him, and put a roof over his head. (Troy ran away at the age of 14 from his family where is father abused his mother.) It's a brilliant scene directed with panache by Clinton Turner Davis, a noted interpreter of Wilson.

The father/son scenes are at times heart wrenching. Troy refuses to allow his son to play football and hope for a college scholarship because he believes it will turn to failure. He insists he continue his job at the A&P instead. The friction between the two never ends and Cory leaves the home for the Marines where he can use his "Yes Sir!".

When the play opens Troy seems like a loving husband and father yet is a flawed individual which becomes quickly apparent. His emotions take over later and almost comes to serious blows with his son.

James Fouchard once again has a marvelous set, Nancy Schertler does the very lovely lighting, and Elisheba Ittoop did the great sound design.

Davis as directed a masterpiece with a superb cast.

Now is the time, if you've never seen it, to see FENCES and even if you have, you will enjoy this powerful play.

FENCES runs to Nov. 22, 2015. For tickets call 410-752-2208 or visit www.everymantheatre.org.

You can even purchase FENCES' inspired ice-cream. Taharka Brothers Ice Cream has created an exclusive blend of ice cream entitled "Jumping the Fence". The ingredients include bittersweet dark chocolate, a splash of gin, waffle cone, and blueberries and it is delicious. It will soon be available at local restaurants and retail stores.

Next up at Everyman is John Patrick Shanley's OUTSIDE MULLINGAR, an Irish love story running December 9 to January 10, 2016. Everyman is hosting a "Taste of Everyman" on December 17 when the show will be paired with Irish whiskey. The tasting is $60 which includes the show, hors d'oeuvres from Chad Wells, chef at Alewife, and whiskey.

THIS AND THAT

DVR Alert: Check out Lin-Manuel Miranda (HAMILTON) who will be a guest on THE TONIGHT SHOW this Friday night on NBC.

PBS Art Fall Festival continues on PBS. Catch the following:

CHITA REIVERA: A LOT OF LIVIN' TO DO (Nov. 6 at 9 p.m.)

"Live from Lincoln Center" : ACT ONE with Tony Shalhoub, Andrea Martin, and Santino Fontana (Nov. 13)

FIRST YOU DREAM: THE MUSIC OF KANDER AND EBB...a concert tribute recorded at Signature Theatre directed by Eric Schaeffer (Nov. 20).

On Saturday night, Nov. 21,the film WEST SIDE STORY on WETA at 9:30 p.m.

Saturday night, Nov. 28, JOSH GROBAN: STAGES: Josh Groban sings Broadway tunes at 10 p.m.

MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE

Happy to report the shows on NBC during Macy's Parade:

SCHOOL OF ROCK

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

KING AND I

ON YOUR FEET

SOMETHING ROTTEN

THE WIZ LIVE! (on NBC Dec. 3 at 8 p.m.)

FINDING NEVERLAND (and what about HAMILTON???)

cgshubow@broadwayworld.com

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