For a Wednesday opening night, chatter could be heard from the hallway outside of Mitchell Theatre. Soft but bass heavy jazz played as the red theatre seats slowly began to fill and fill. Majority of the audience was on the older side, with the whole middle seating area packed with people, awarding them with a full scope of the stage.
With no stage curtain at Mitchell Theatre, guests were awarded a teaser of the plot to ensue. The set stood still, empty and frozen in time. The brick house was illuminated by a warm glow, with cracks leaking out some of the embracing light. The setting revolves around this house and the small yard set in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1957.
As the lights dimmed, a booming voice entered from below the auditorium stairs. Enter Troy Maxson, played by Alphaeus Green Jr. accompanied by Bono, played by C. Julian White. Troy is the main character that August Wilson builds the story of “Fences” around — both literally and figuratively.
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Green’s performance is made possible through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the labor union for professional actors and stage managers in the United States. Likewise is Burgess Byrd’s performance, who plays Rose Maxson, the wife of Troy and mother to Cory.
Byrd’s performance is one to see. She is a powerhouse on the stage, being a seasoned actor both in theatre and on screen. Her delivery never falls short, with her voice booming throughout the small theatre, bringing along a sense of comfort and love. She makes the audience feel everything and more.
Cory is played by Micah Anderson. This is his debut in the University of Wisconsin’s theatre department as Anderson is currently attends Madison West High School. He is a vibrant young actor, with a strong and compelling presence on stage. One would never have guessed that he is still in high school based simply upon the way he carries himself on stage in front of an audience.
Anderson breathes new life into the character of Cory and moves the audience with the multitude of emotions he encounters. The audience grapples with him as he grows into himself and struggles with the power dynamic between him and his father throughout the play.
Anderson is not the only young actor to occupy the Mitchell Theatre stage. Raynell is Troy’s youngest, illegitimate child and only daughter, played by Naomi Greer, who is currently a fifth grader at Van Hise Elementary School in Madison. She is small, but mighty, and makes her theatrical debut in “Fences” toward the end of the performance.
Director Baron Kelly acts in the play as well, playing Troy’s brother, Gabe, who was disabled during World War II. Gabe acts as the scapegoat for the feelings of shame and inferiority that plague Troy.
Baron Kelly brings August Wilson’s Fences to University Theatre
The only UW student in “Fences” is Noah Mustapha Kohn-Dumbuya. He fills the part of Lyons, Troy’s eldest son with another woman. Lyons stops by the house occasionally, usually asking for money and then becomes the brunt of his father’s disapproval in him pursuing music rather than a “real job.”
According to the director’s note, at the heart of “Fences” is the juxtaposition of Troy’s decisions regarding his family and his later choice to have an affair. Playwright August Wilson exposes the audience to the destructive nature of betrayal and guides us through the disillusionment that ensues. The complexity of the conflicts is understood by the audience through the characters’ delivery as they struggle to find their place in society and build a fence.
In “Fences,” Wilson fits the whole country in a backyard and makes the bigness of his ideas seem life-size. This play is a vital encapsulation of Black history and contemporary life. This article urges readers to go support the University Theatre and to see not just an amazing performance, but a transcending story, an elaborate set and truly phenomenal actors, direction and stage hands.
