Two Plays Running

This past Thursday I took my Mother, the Lovely Joan, to see Denzel in "FENCES", after a leisurely dinner nearby at the spacious and elegant Bond 45. Dinner was delicious, if a bit salty. We both had pasta, no wine (so as to stay awake for the play) and chocolate profiteroles for dessert.

Delicious. Chocolate. Salty. All words I would use, and more, to describe the dynamic Denzel in the lead role of Troy Maxson in August Wilson's crowdpleaser, which won a Pulitzer in 1987. Perhaps Wilson's most accessible work, almost devoid of some of the deep symbolism and metaphors which thread through many of his other plays, "Fences" quite movingly articulates the struggles of an ordinary man to hold onto some semblance of meaning and joy in his life; to forge a relationship with his son, to cast off the demons of his own father, and to hold his long-suffering wife at arm's length as he pulls another woman close. Literally and figuratively, the fence that he builds around his small property defines his own limitations, and keeps the important people in his life from getting too close.

The audience that night was largely African-American, and how I do love attending the theater with my people!! We talk back to the stage, much as we talk to the screen at Will Smith movies (or Eddie's or Tyler's or Latifah's or whomever). When Denzel said "...I'm 53 years old..." one woman down front screamed "that's allright, Baby, you STILL fine!!" and when he revealed his ultimate betrayal of his wife, Rose (played by the magnificent Viola Davis), every woman in the house groaned with her. "OHNOYOUDID'ENT!!" we yelled. But yes, he did.

The audience was quite different last night when I went with my pals ( Lisa, Chris and Betty) to see Daniel Beaty's one man show, "THROUH THE NIGHT", currently at the Riverside Theater until May 23rd. An exploration of the struggles faced by Black men in today's world, the work has an immediate feel but speaks to issues long faced by our men regardless of age, economic rank, or education level. All of our brothers, sons, husbands, fathers, lovers and friends have a hard time, at some point, dealing with some issue, some circumstance, some personal demon, and just making it"through the night". Daniel brilliantly and seamlessly weaves his narrative stories, songs, and poems, connecting a wide range of male and female characters into an impassioned cry for unity, strength, and perseverance over the forces that affect us all. This audience was mezmerized, stunned into reverent silence. Riverside Church was thus the perfect setting for this amazing young artist, whose spirit and soul are surely touched by the Divine.