Review: RADIO GOLF at Round House Theatre

Golf is a metaphor for “the haves and have nots” in playwright August Wilson’s masterful final play Radio Golf. This challenging play now being presented at Bethesda’s Round House Theatre is directed by Reginald L. Douglas with a finely tuned ear for the cadence of speech and the robust, all-encompassing writing style of August Wilson. 

Though the play deals with serious dramatic issues of unbridled greed, ethics, the concept of what constitutes business and community, familial ties that can cut both ways, and cutthroat capitalism ----there is an undercurrent of a pointed comic tone throughout.  The comic tone is a  result of playwright Wilson’s inherent understanding of the complexity of human nature ---a complexity that he brings out in his fully-developed panoply of characters.

The basic plot line of this richly textured play concerns a man who is running for mayor while also pushing for a redevelopment scheme for housing which becomes a jumping off point for the dramatization of several themes--- displacement in the name of gentrification as well as the welcoming of blight to get funding for commercially harmful redevelopment projects. The magical alchemy of director Reginald L. Douglas’s moving production is that these weighty issues are adroitly combined with an eye to the earthy, caustic, and comic undertones of the play.

The twist in the play is that the developer (Harmond Wilks, performed with aplomb by JaBen Early) gets a crisis of conscience when he realizes his redevelopment plan is going to demolish a home that legally belongs to somebody else.  He is not helped by his partner in his business, (Roosevelt Hicks, played with physical vigor and authority by Ro Boddie), who wants to go ahead with a radio station and the redevelopment plan aggressively regardless of the costs—whether financial or emotional. The character of Mame Wilks (played by Renee Elizabeth Wilson) is rightfully assertive but the performance could use some shading and less stridency.

The characters of Sterling Johnson (performed superbly by Kevin Mambo) and Elder Joseph Barlow (a master class in timing and inflection by Craig Wallace) represent the residents of the Pittsburgh community who are rightfully distressed that their home and community is going to be demolished. It is apparent that playwright Wilson sympathizes with the spirit of the misunderstood and downtrodden and actors Mambo and Wallace fully capture every nuance of their misunderstood, enigmatic yet engaging characters.

This production seems to focus on the symbolism of golf as a status symbol involving playing golf with the financially elite and even having a radio station dramatize “radio golf” (perhaps a stab at the artificiality of those not really connected to the authenticity of the life force?) while those who are financially struggling must be content with helping these very privileged people to buy back their stolen golf clubs. (The play occasionally reminded me of playwright David Mamet in its highlighting of the search for material success and concurrent commentary on crass capitalism.).

The play possesses an all-encompassing understanding of the differing extremes and poles --- as characters collide with class divisions, racial divisions, and familial problems ---but is refreshingly non-didactic as the play offers solid intellectual discourse on these themes via the divergent viewpoints of all of the characters.

Costume Design by Moyenda Kulemeka is very striking in effect.  Golfing apparel, savvy suits and ties for the “successful” executive and casual clothes are all appropriate for the characters and the scenes.

Scenic Design by Meghan Raham was impressive with an office setting that had depth upstage with a door and an adjacent walkway.  File cabinets, desk, pictures, chairs, and other office accessories were rendered with flair.

Sound designer and composer Matthew M. Nielson provided atmospheric music that helped to propel transitions and to reinforce the mood from one scene to another.

Radio Golf is an immersive and invigorating excursion into the very relevant and ongoing question: at what cost to humanity do we measure the meaning of success?

Running Time: Two Hours and fifteen minutes with one intermission

Radio Golf runs through July 2nd, 2023 at the Round House Theatre located at 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD.

Photo credit: L-R Craig Wallace and JaBen Early in Round House Theatre's production of August Wilson's Radio Golf. Photo by Margot Schulman Photgraphy.

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