August Wilson's Fences

I absolutely adored August Wilson’s drama Fences. I don’t think I’ve read a more alive and breathing-on-the-page play in a very long time. The thing that struck me the most about the play was that I SEE and come into contact with characters like the ones portrayed in the play all of the time. All of the characterizations feel real, vibrant, and like they possess a beating heart. While I thoroughly enjoyed plays like A Doll’s House and other plays that are naturalistic; I was always aware that as a reader I was working very hard to lift the play off the page. I felt that this play needed none of that extra labor and that it created itself right in front of my imagination. I guess that is the mark of a wonderful author who is clearly present in his writing and in his characters.
As I read Fences, I was struck by the idea that it was not unlike an African American complement to Miller's Death of a Salesman; both plays are very parallel to each other. Both male leads, Willie and Troy, are chasing after dreams that cannot exist for them i.e. the American dream and baseball. But because they are entirely single mindedly headed in that pursuit, they both become “stuck” and cannot move forward with their lives. Neither of them is able to see the pain of others around them and they bring their families down with them into their fantasies.

I have to admit that this play has stuck with me through the course of the semester. It was the only play I hadn't read and it was such a discovery for me. I've recently been thinking about how this year back home has been as transformative for me as the year I spent abroad. I've come to the rather strange conclusion that I feel alot more a kin to African American identity than to my own Latino heritage. I also just adore the play because of how ALIVE it is. I feel August Wilson was able to capture the soul of his people but, also create a play that is universal. Not only does it deal with the African American experience, but also with the themes of loss, lonliness, marriage, children, and broken dreams. I think August Wilson deserves to be in the company of playwrights like Arthur Miller, Eugene O'Neil, and Edward Albee.

I am so thrilled as the revival of Fences has hit Broadway with Denzel Washington and Viola Davis in the primary roles. Here are some links and a video for the acclaimed production. I am hoping to see this show when I am in NYC over the summer--it would be such a treat! Viola Davis is such an inspiration to me, as a young actress, cause she's a force of nature--do I hear a Tony Award? This production has received rave reviews and I bet it's going to be a heck of a time trying to get a ticket, if they aren't sold out for their limited run in New York.



Here is another link with Viola Davis talking about the character of Rose.
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/04/26/theater/1247467708862/viola-davis-on-fences.html

And a link to the Broadway site
http://www.fencesonbroadway.com/