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August Wilson double header at Alliance
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
THEATER REVIEW. “Gem of the Ocean,” Grade: A- / “Radio Golf,” Grade: B-
It is a sprawling red-brick mansion with a magnificent mahogany staircase and a stained-glass transom window that heralds its Pittsburgh address: 1839 Wylie Avenue.
To followers of August Wilson’s monumental 10-play “Century Cycle,” it’s a familiar landmark — home of the ancient and magisterial Aunt Ester and the spiritual epicenter of the playwright’s time-swept mythology.
In “Gem of the Ocean,” set in 1904, a wayward citizen journeys to Aunt Ester’s house, believing he has killed a man and seeking redemption. By 1997, we are in Wilson’s “Radio Golf,” and a pair of affluent, politically ambitious real-estate developers are poised to replace 1839 Wylie with a flashy new building that will include a Starbucks and a Barnes & Noble. There goes the neighborhood — and the messy remains of a 100-year history of pain and struggle, hope and salvation.
The Alliance Theatre, in partnership with True Colors Theatre, has chosen to open its 40th season by staging bookend productions of these first and final chapters of the Wilson opus. Performed in repertory by a single cast, “Gem” is directed by True Colors’ Kenny Leon, “Golf” is staged by the Alliance’s Kent Gash, and the whole business is scented with the heady perfume of historical importance. Three years after Wilson’s death, the cycle comes full circle for Atlanta audiences.
All in all, it’s a noble achievement — a beautifully acted, nearly six-hour marathon of theater-going (if you see both shows) that allows viewers to connect the dots of Wilson’s staggering design. Led by the mesmerizing Michele Shay as Aunt Ester, “Gem” is a fully realized, nearly perfect testament to the genius of Wilson, a riveting philosophical debate on the meaning of freedom and the mixed blessing of Emancipation. “Radio Golf,” on the other hand, is a problematic and somewhat thuddingly plotted attempt by a dying playwright to sew up the threads of “Gem.”
“Gem” is time-traveling adventure story, edged with erotic assignations and the dangerous polarization of the poor underclass and the emerging middle class — all witnessed from Aunt Ester’s armchair.
While Citizen Barlow (the stellar E. Roger Mitchell) journeys to the City of Bones to try to save his soul, the roosterish vigilante Caesar Wilks (Chad L. Coleman) terrorizes the town — including former Underground Railroad conductor Solly Two Kings (Afemo Omilami) and even Wilks’ own sister, Black Mary (Tonia M. Jackson). It’s a simmering caldron that will end in tragedy.
Fast forward to “Radio Golf,” and Caesar Wilks’ grandson, Harmond (Coleman), is campaigning to be the first black mayor of Pittsburgh, even as he and his colleague Roosevelt Hicks (Mitchell) plan the development that will wipe out 1839 Wylie. But their scheme is upset, and a family secret revealed, when Elder Joseph Barlow (Omilami) and a rough-edged blue-collar type named Sterling Johnson (Donald Griffin) stage an insurrection.
“Radio Golf” has at least one too many characters and agendas. Wilks’ wife, Mame (Jackson), is on a career path of her own, but her journey barely registers as her husband tries to work his way out of a legal morass. Amidst the slamming doors and ringing telephones, Wilson’s ever-impeccable structure falters.
And yet the high caliber of the performances makes up for the shortcomings.
Omilami, who plays the archetypal wise fool in both shows, is superb. In “Gem,” Mitchell’s Citizen Barlow is a moving combination of emotional vulnerability and comic befuddlement; in “Radio Golf,” his Hicks is appropriately arrogant without being a caricature. Coleman delivers a tour-de-force tirade as Caesar Wilks, then calibrates the passion to portray Harmon as a genuinely likeable man struggling with his conscience. Jackson’s account of Black Mary — who gets to multitask as Aunt Ester’s dogsbody, Citizen’s love interest and Caesar’s sister — is by turns steady and graceful, and deliciously piqued.
And what is it like to play the veritable soul- mother of the entire Wilson opus? In a first-rate performance, Shay’s Aunt Ester is a font of maternal love, steely resolve and overweening bossiness.
On the design side, Edward E. Haynes Jr. creates handsome sets. Mariann Verheyen’s costumes are authentic and nicely taylored. But the sound and lighting teams miss a chance to turn the City of Bones sequence into the kind of storm-tossed, primal-scream of a nightmare that it should be.
In the final analyis, this so-called August Wilson “Full Circle” is a better idea on paper than in actuality. While Leon’s “Gem” soars, Gash has the unenviable task of trying to tune out the static of “Radio Golf.” Even if Wilson’s final play doesn’t quite sing, it remains a fascinating challenge.
The 411: In rotating repertory. Through Sept. 28. $15-$45. Alliance Theatre, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E., Midtown. 404-733-5000, alliancetheatre.org
Bottom line: “Radio Golf” remains a problem. But “Gem” is about as good as it gets.
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