The Rep has saved the very best for the very last of its 2015-2016 season with its stellar production of Fences. Director Lou Bellamy and the talented troupe of actors do Fences’ late playwright, August Wilson, proud with a storyline as timely and courageous as ever.
Fences tells the story of Troy Maxon, an almost baseball great whose career gets permanently sidelined due to racism. He’s a sanitation worker whose goal is to drive the truck rather than haul the trash. He and the assorted characters in the seven-member ensemble have dreams that are no longer deferred; they’re dashed to the ground and shattered under the heavy weight of oppression. Yet through the individual and collective hardships, there are moments of sheer joy and happiness.
Director Bellamy creates a world that makes us forget we’re watching actors on a stage, and the entire cast rivets us from start to finish. However, it’s David Alan Anderson’s exemplary portrayal of Troy that defines Fences as we watch him laugh and struggle and attempt to make sense of his own actions—good and otherwise. What a perfect and delicate balance Kim Staunton brings to his wife Rose, who laughs and suffers alongside. And Terry Bellamy is simply remarkable as Troy’s war-wounded brother, Gabriel. Fans of live theater be advised: Get a ticket before the show ends. You’ll be glad you did.
Through May 22 in the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater, 108 E. Wells St. For tickets and further information, call 414-224-9490 or visit milwaukeerep.com.
