Seattle Rep's Fences Is the Best Play I Have Ever Seen

Stephen Tyrone Williams as Cory, with a swing that could be better, in "Fences." Photo by Chris Bennion.

Why sourcoat it? I've never seen a better play than August Wilson's Fences, which runs from last night through April 18 at the Seattle Rep. Could be because no one's ever written a better play.

Just before curtain, former Seattle Rep actor and current deputy mayor Darryl Smith stood at the front of the house and, in the lead-up to delivering some mayoral proclamation, declared that Wilson is "America's Shakespeare." Smith added, "I really believe that." Me too, Mr. Deputy Mayor.

Like Shakespeare, Wilson's work ranges from good (Much Ado About Nothing, Gem of the Ocean) to excellent (Othello, Joe Turner's Come and Gone) to among the best things ever written in the English language. Wilson's Fences, like Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, belongs in the latter category.

I will attempt to explain why. Not being 1/10-trillionth the writer Wilson was, I will fail. Still, as it's one a.m. and I'm so keyed up after seeing the play that I'm compelled to share, here goes:

Wilson draws us an unforgettable lead in Troy Maxson, a former Negro League baseball star struggling to rectify the gaping chasm between the life he's been handed and the one he wants.

Our theme is a timeless one: Human frailty, and the resultant necessity of learning to forgive. Maxson must forgive society's frailties--he was born in a time when talented African-American ballplayers like himself were denied opportunities granted to less talented white ones. His bitterness leads him to act in ways that wife Rose and son Corey must forgive.

You could watch ten dozen plays before encountering one containing a single scene crackling with as much drama, surprise, humor and reality as each scene in Fences. "You don't often get a chance to see deeply into the lives of real people like that," said my plus-one, my mother, as we walked back through Seattle Center after the show. Right on, mom.

You know you're in for a first-class experience when you get to your seats and see the set, an amazing replication of a poor urban 1950s front yard. "Did you notice the garbage under the porch," my Mom asked at intermission. I hadn't, but it's these small touches that lend even more reality to Wilson's text.

Further kudos to the performers. Minneapolis 2008 actor of the year James A. Williams walks a tightrope as Troy Maxson, a physically powerful but emotionally fragile man. Denver-based Kim Staunton is incredible as Troy's unexpectedly strong wife Rose. As son Corey, Stephen Tyrone Williams brilliantly manages what ends up being two roles--a painfully naive, exuberant teenager and, later in the play's timeframe, a world-weary, pent-up Marine.

I've never seen a Seattle audience (which included boldface name Bart Sher) interact with a play as they did with this one. After every scene: Applause. Well-deserved applause, I must add. Still, that's a first for me.

Now is the part where I nitpick. If your SunBreak editors wanted a reviewer who'd find fault with this incredible production, they chose correctly in selecting a baseball connoisseur. Both Troy and Corey Maxson take swings at a rag baseball during the play; I have never seen weaker cuts in my life. Wilson's text claims that Troy hit six home runs off of legendary pitcher Satchel Paige. Seriously? He couldn't hit Ellen Page's fastball with those hacks. Please, Seattle Rep poobahs: When the Mariners get to town, enlist Ken Griffey Jr. to give these guys some pointers.

Fences premiered at Yale Rep in 1985. Seattle Rep had it in '86, with Samuel L. Jackson in the supporting role of Troy Maxson's eldest son Lyons. The play hit Broadway in '87 with James Earl Jones as Troy, collecting both a Pulitzer and a Tony. A Broadway revival later this month will star Denzel Washington, with music by Branford Marsalis. The Seattle Rep's production travels to Syracuse next for a one-month run.

I was lucky enough to see Fences gratis, but I'll happily pay whatever they're charging to see the play a second time. Mom said she'll do the same. Get thee to the Internet and get your own pair of tickets; art like this is why you live in Seattle.