Friday February 10, 2006 SGN.org |
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Volume 34 Issue 06 |
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Saturday, Nov 21, 2009
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Radio Golf is a window into two worlds
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| Radio Golf is a window into two worlds | |
| 'August Wilson's towering achievement ... reveals old wounds and sharp rivalries between class and race.'
Radio Golf Directed by Kenny Leon. Starring: Denise Burse, Rocky Carroll, James A. Williams, John Earl Jelks, Anthony Chisholm at Seattle Repertory Theatre January 19-February 18th Quiet as it's kept, there is a lingering resentment, left over from the days of slavery in this country, between middle class Blacks (who are trying to 'better themselves, and leave the 'ghetto'), and working class Blacks. This situation is often manifested in work situations where Blacks are working for other Blacks, as in lawyers, who might hire housekeepers, or businesspeople who often hire Black 'help' in order to appear as successful as the white middle class they are trying to emulate. And, as in the 'house nigga', field 'nigga' dichotomy from slavery days, this creates tension and magnifies the inner self-hatred and racism both have internalized living in a racially polarized and white dominated society. All of this buzzes about in the late August Wilson's towering achievement, his last of the cycle of plays about the Black experience in urban environments, 'Radio Golf', which pits two young, Black entrepreneurs (Rocky Carroll and James A. Williams) against two working class Black men, who want to save the older one's house (John Earl Jelks and Anthony Chisholm). The house is slated to be torn down by the city, under a federal grant that has been given to the city (this happens to be in Pittsburgh, but it is reminiscent of many urban locations, including New Orleans, recently) to rejuvenate areas deemed 'blighted'. The only thing standing in the way of Harmond and Roosevelt's (Carroll and Jelks) plans to become millionaire landowners is the stubborn will of Elder Barlow (Anthony Chisholm), who insists that the two cannot 'tear down' his house, which is part of the property to be torn down for a large apartment complex to be built. As discussions between the three turn from friendly to bitter, Wilson's keen eye for the subtleties in human behavior (particularly Black behavior) reveals old wounds and sharp rivalries between class and race. Ultimately, no one is a winner, but everyone leaves the battle of wills scarred, a little insane in the face of such overwhelming circumstances, as shown in the last scene of the play. I won't tell you what happens in that scene, but I can tell you it left the audience I attended with last week with gaping mouths and brought an entire audience to its feet at the end of the play - something you don't see in this town very often. Certainly a play worth making time for, 'Radio Golf' has much to say of how we are all capable of becoming tyrants when power is added to a mix of internalized racism and classism, and that power is tainted to begin with. For ticket information, call: 443-2222, or go to www.seattlerep.org. |
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