King Hedley II - Portland Playhouse - Portland, OR

"The Rhythms of Life"

This play is written by August Wilson and directed by Jade King Carroll.  It runs through December 30^th.  The theatre is located 602 NE Prescott St. in North Portland.  For ticket and season information call 503-488-5822 or visit them at www.portlandplayhouse.org.

The late, great playwright, August Wilson, wrote a 10-cycle play series about the black experience from the 1900’s though the 1990’s in the Hill District of Pittsburgh,  PA, where he grew up.  Recently ART did a prequel of this story, Seven Guitars, with a couple of the same  cast members.  (Read my review of that show on this blog.)

At the center of the story is King Hedley II (OSF actor, Peter Macon), a ticking time bomb, dissatisfied with his lot in life.  He is looking, if not for easy money, at least a fair shake, unhampered by race issues.  He has a willing accomplice and supporter of anything he does from Mister (Vin Shambry, son of Red from Seven Guitars).  Meanwhile his wife, Tonya (Ramona Lisa Alexander—from Seven Guitars) has a job and wants a family and a “normal” way of life.

They are living with the woman who raised Hedley, Ruby (Monica Parks), who has her  own desires and secrets.  Next door lives Stool Pigeon (Victor Mack, playing an older version of the same character he was in Seven Guitars).  He spouts Bible quotes, collects newspapers for his view of the world and, with all his eccentricities, may be the most aware person of them all.

Into this explosive mix arrives Elmore (John Cothran, Jr.), a con man and an old flame of Rudy’s.  His intrusion into their precarious lives, upsets the delicate balance and sets off a chain of events that will, ultimately, end in tragedy.  To tell more of the story would expose parts of it best left to the discovery of the audience.

The direction by Ms. Carroll keeps the energy and flow of the story moving at a brisk space, although three hours long, it is never boring.  Her connection with the actors in the show is obvious, as every look and nuance of theirs has meaning.  And the Scenic Design by Owen Walz is terrific.  You literally feel you have been transported in time and space to the poorer section of a large city in the 80’s.

The whole cast is electric!  I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing those roles.  They actually inhabit them, as any trained professional actor would.  Mr. Macon, as Hedley, is a powerhouse, a force of Nature to be reckoned with, driving his character and the story to its  inevitable conclusion.  Mr. Mack is fascinating to watch, as his character tries to balance  Bible teachings with the harsh realities of the “real” world, a continuation of  his character, Canewell, in Seven Guitars.

Mr. Cothran, Jr. is a master.  His monologues set up much of the history of the story and one is rapt when he waxes eloquent on them.  And Ms. Parks does equally well with her reminisces of a world gone by and a life never realized.   Mr. Shambry and Ms. Alexander round out this powerful cast, filling in solid support for the sad but powerful structure of this tale.

An overall theme of Mr. Wilson’s about the world may be echoed in Stool Pigeon’s words, “Ain’t gotta believe in it for it to be true.”  And, possibly, from Ruby, about men, “…talks like sugar but gives salt.”

But it’s also about Birth, Death, and Re-birth.  As proof, the seeds that Hedley plants to grow flowers; the kitten that is buried in the garden, with the understanding that it will be re-born; the death of one of the characters in the story, with a baby on the way to fill this void; and Bible quotes throughout to the Cycle’s continuation.  (Similar instances are in Seven Guitars.)  The world may be “too much with us,” but with us, it is, like it or not, for better or  worse.

Interesting to note that Wilson’s Two Trains Running will be playing at OSF this Spring.  The third of his plays performed in Oregon within a year.  Good to hear, as it’s well deserved.  If you choose to see this play, tell them Dennis sent you.

Seven Guitars - Artists Repertory Theatre, Portland, OR

"Poverty & Dreams"

Seven Guitars, by August Wilson, is currently playing at Artists Rep through November 11^th at their location at SW Alder and 16^th Ave.  It is directed by Kevin Jones.  For more  information on their season and play dates/times, contact their website www.artistsrep.org

August Wilson is recognized by the theatre community as one of the best playwrights of the last few decades.  His ten-play cycle, outlining the life and times of Afro-Americans, is quite impressive.  Seven Guitars is in the middle of that cycle, the 1940’s, exposing the lives of seven individuals in the Hill district of Pittsburg, PA. (the seven guitars?).

We had our own Hill district, in the guise of Vanport, until it was destroyed by a flood.  It was probably a reflection of the Black experience, like the Hill district of PA.  People living in poverty, haunted by their own demons of the past, dreaming of a better tomorrow.  A world dominated by White oppression, steering the lives of all involved.

The play is told as reflections and semi-monologues on each of these characters’ lives.  It begins with six of them coming back from the funeral of Floyd (Lance Mc Queen).  He has been murdered, and the rest of the play is a flashback of his life, leading up to his death.  This is not Wilson’s best play but the explosive efforts of his characters to tell their story outweighs the lack of a strong, narrative thread.

Floyd is a bit of a gad-about, a fly-by-night musician, whose sole purpose seems to be to become rich and famous.  His “main squeeze,” when his hands aren’t wandering, is Vera (Ramona Lisa Alexander), a lady who, perhaps, loves “not wisely but too well.”  His musician friends are Canewell (Victor Mack), a glib lady’s man and Red (Michael J. Asberry) a reflector, perhaps, of the human condition.

There is Vera’s wise-cracking friend, Louise (Gayle Samuels), a no-nonsense lady who seems content to be in charge of her world.  She has a niece, Ruby (Ashley Williams), a young flirt who comes to live with her, seeming to live and revel in turning the heads of all men.  And the bible-spouting neighbor, Hedley (Mujahid Abdul-Rashid), a man with a very damaged childhood but feels destined to come into riches owed to him, and to father a new messiah.

These characters are richly drawn by all the members of this powerful ensemble.  Each  of them having their moments to expound on their dreams and fears in monologue-type expositions.  And each of their traits are expertly told by the performers and universally recognized by the audience.  It is all of us, richly detailed by the genius of Mr. Wilson, Mr. Jones and the cast.

The set by Jeff Seats is a marvel.  It is so realistic it becomes a character unto itself.  You could almost feel yourself walking through their doors and into another time period.  And the costumes by Jessica Bobillot also add colorful flavor to this mix, especially in the last act with the rich hues of their fancy attires.

Kevin Jones’s direction is precise and crisp, moving the play along when it needs the quicker pacing and more slowly for the subtler moments.  He is an actors’ director, obviously taking care with searching out all the possible nuances of a character.  The strength of Mr. Jones (and Mr. Wilson) is presenting us with people who are all shades of gray, without recriminations, and are very much like the sum total of all of us.

I recommend this show.  And, if you liked it, watch for other Wilson plays this season in Portland.  King Hedley II at Portland Playhouse in December and Two Trains Running at  OSF  in Ashland this Spring.  Tell them Dennis sent you.