Review: FENCES - HOME, Manchester (03/11/26)
Wilson's magnum opus still hits just as hard over 40 years later
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To see once fervently pursued ambitions or goals slip through your fingers due to circumstances out of your control can be enormously demoralising, dispiriting, and even have long term ramifications that spill out into your home life, adversely affecting relationships with those closest to you. "Fences" tells of Troy Maxson, a former prospective baseball professional whose career never took off, due to the societal disdain towards African-American communities that was rife during the first half of the 20th century, leading to opportunities for black workers being severely limited. Fast forward almost 2 decades, and Troy has settled down, living with wife Rose and 17-year-old son Cory, and surrounded by a community who care about them deeply...but are they truly happy?
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for drama back in 1987, August Wilson's intimate 3-hour long character study focusses on how Troy, his family, and those closest to him tackle the pre-civil rights struggle experienced by many dark skinned citizens, with his use of baseball jargon often acting as metaphorical foreshadowing, especially the idea of being "born with two strikes". The story, as drawn out as it occasionally feels, is expressed in a beautifully naturalistic, lyrically rich style, opening with a series of seemingly innocuous exchanges, and gradually building layers of depth into the narrative. What we end up with is a complex tapestry of character quirks, foibles and intricacies that never feel like they are glorifying anyone's individual or collective experiences, rather laying them out bare and highlighting their various blemishes and shortcomings.
Perhaps the most potent exponent of this idea is the toxic nature of Troy's relationship with son Cory (played most sensitively by Josh Tedeku), which over time has bared the brunt of his historical hangups. This has led him to adopt an iron fist parenting style that has seemingly deprived Cory, himself dreaming of being a football player, of any sense of autonomy, largely through wanting to protect him from the same heartbreak to which he himself was subjected. It is a well-meaning but ultimately pernicious approach, that only serves to drive a stake in between the pair, and build resentment from Cory in particular towards his overbearing father.
Wilson perfectly depicts the imperfections of humanity by making our principal protagonist such an inherently flawed individual, but more than anything we seem to simultaneously empathise with and condemn him, as although his actions at best tiptoe around the skirts of immorality, at worst leave the line far in the rearview mirror, we still somewhat recognise that he is very much a victim of circumstance. Troy is a character to be understood rather than liked or admired, which is why he is such a compelling tragic antihero, and lead performer Ray Fearon absolutely knocks it out of the park, with a great deal of swagger yet nuance, and at times real ferocity to his presentation of such a deeply complex role.
There is plenty to love about how director Daniel Bailey has envisioned this staging, with some exquisite attention to detail about Lily Arnold's costumes and sets, the latter of which, impressive in scale, work exceedingly well with lighting designed by Jai Morjaria, featuring much of the stage encompassed by narrow bar lighting. This is largely used during scene transitions, and in collaboration with Arnold's sets gives us a rather ingenious aesthetic blend of traditional and modern. Additionally the musical contributions, masterminded by Khalil Madovi, add a remarkable extra element of authenticity, from Simon Anthony-Rhoden's initial entrance as Gabriel, sporting a trumpet slung over his shoulder, to the smooth sax skills of Michael Ahomka-Lindsay as aspiring musician Lyons.
Everal A Walsh is an actor of stupendous range, and one who is deserving of far more prominent recognition for his immense talent; he brings grit and gumption to the role of humble, morally centred Jim Bono, Troy's loyal best friend of over 30 years. Equally, Madeline Appiah wears her heart on her sleeve as fiercely devoted wife Rose, providing us with a steadfast, solemn performance that acts as the play's emotional engine room. The relationship building between every member of this company is exquisitely handled as well, and the collective chemistry draws us in and keeps us fully engrossed.
The biggest takeaway from this play, however it's produced, is that all of us, no matter the background from which we herald, have the tendency to put up emotional fences in order to protect ourselves, and this irrationality can be enormously damaging to our personal relationships, or put bluntly, the art of self-preservation can, ironically, lead one down the path of self-destruction. August Wilson takes this notion and runs with it, creating an emotionally visceral piece of immense depth and refinement, and Bailey's finely balanced direction has kept the central themes of familial tensions, infidelity, death and the fragmented nature of 1950s race relations at its very core.
★★★★☆ (4*)
"Fences" runs at HOME, Manchester until the 7th of November (tickets)
{PR/invite}
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