In April of 2005, the play “Radio Golf” made its world premiere on the Yale Rep
stage. Two months later, the author – Pulitzer Prize-winner August Wilson – was
diagnosed with an aggressive form of liver cancer.
The play rounded out Wilson’s “century cycle,” which depicted Black life in 1900s
America. Like “Radio Golf,” most of the plays were set in his hometown of
Pittsburgh. It took place in 1997, the last decade before the new millennium. As
fate would have it, “Radio Golf” would also be his last. By the fall of 2005, Wilson
was dead.
“He set out to do a thing and completed the task,” said Founder and Producing
Director Ron Himes. “That is inspiring in itself – but then you look at the body of
work within that task and you are blown away.” Himes also set out to complete a task. And with “Radio Golf” as The Black Rep’s Season 48 finale, they are in the rarified air of having staged Wilson’s century cycle two times. The devastating storms that ravaged parts of the city and county halted opening weekend after Thursday previews. The show will be back at The Edison Theatre this week for the rest of its run (through June 1).
Based on the caliber of performances and the production value (particularly Jim
Burwinkel’s scenic design) – which will certainly leave audiences in awe – it is a
task The Black embarked upon with the intention of doing Wilson’s words proud.
The Black Rep’s staging of “Radio Golf” showcases the strengths of a play that is
often categorized as the weakest of Wilson’s ten-play series.
At the dawn of a new millennium, Raymond Wilks has the opportunity to make his
community proud in two separate – but intersecting – capacities. He is a serious
contender in the mayoral race, which would make him Pittsburgh’s first Black
Mayor. He is also passionate about giving a second life to the blighted historically
Black Hill District through the redevelopment company run by him and his old
friend Roosevelt Hicks. Both are enterprising, but Wilks’ newly discovered moral
compass that is tied to his family’s history becomes a threat to the project. With
“Radio Golf,” Wilson poses the question, “Is upward mobility at the expense of
helpless segments of the community truly progress?”
The cast includes Reginald L. Wilson and Black Rep veterans Velma Austin,
Ronald L. Conner, Himes and Kelvin Roston Jr. The ensemble – and director Jon
Royal – approached “Radio Golf” as if they were engineers committed to ensure a
complex machine with intricate parts that relies on volatile fuel to operate is
assembled properly and runs smoothly.
Typical of Wilson’s plays, the pace is relentless and unforgiving. Missing one beat
within his lines has the possible consequence of destroying context. And if the
rhythm fails to recover, the entire scene could become a casualty. Audiences won’t
have that problem with The Black Rep’s production. The talented ensemble served
dialogue back and forth with the same power and precision that Serena and Venus
Willams would slam tennis balls in each other’s directions on the occasions when
they competed against each other.
The Black Rep has earned national acclaim as a producer of August Wilson plays
and those who attended their second staging of “Radio Golf” will understand why.
“Right ain’t never wronged nobody.” Roston’s delivery of the aforementioned line
perfectly demonstrates Wilson’s ability to showcase the poetry and lyrical
ingenuity of Black vernacular that is so often taken for granted. His portrayal of
Sterling Johson also serves as evidence of The Black Rep’s aptitude for grooming
effective Wilson practitioners.
The willfulness Conner displays through Hicks’ ambition, Wilson’s devotion to
honoring Wilks’ family legacy at the expense of the blueprint for success that has
been laid out for him and Austin as the woman by Wilks’ side contribute to the
power of the production.
But Himes deserves best in show distinction for his take on Elder Barlow. A
recurring scenario in Wilson plays is that the moral compass of the play is operated
by a character that exists on the margins of mental instability. Embodying the
character involves a meticulously choreographed dance between lucidity and
absurdity – to the point where the audience buys into the idea that the character has
lost his grasp on reality, but can still accept the core message that he is charged
with conveying. Himes’ portrayal of Barlow is a master class in bringing this type
of character from Wilson’s cycle to life.
The Black Rep’s presentation of “Radio Golf” continues through June 1 st at
Washington University’s Edison Theatre, 6465 Forsyth Blvd, 63105. For tickets or
additional information, visit www.theblackrep.org or call 314.534.3807.