Fences
We’re starting to see a change in Australian stages with new and diverse plays beginning to be programmed by various theatre companies. These programming choices reflect an eventual acknowledgment of the changing faces in Australia and the diversity of actors that have always been there, yet struggled to get plays. As such, we’re now being exposed to great works that previously would never have had a run.
A prime example is in STC’s programming of Fences by August Wilson. Wilson was a great of the American theatre and one of the best playwrights of the 20th Century. Yet, because his stories are predominately about the African American experience in America, Australian audiences have rarely seen it. Yet STC has launched this production as a follow-up to it’s successful run of A Raisin’ in the Sun last year.
The story centres around a Black family living in Pittsburgh in the 1950s. Central to the story is husband and wife Troy and Rose Maxon, played by Bert LaBonte and Zahara Newman respectively. The family struggles to survive and central to this is Troy who has trouble adapting to the changes happening around him.
LaBonte gives a powerhouse performance as the patriarch of the family, often with barely contained rage at the life he has been dealt. Newman is calm and measured as Rose with a steely resolve to get on with life. Darius Williams and Damon Manns are effective as Maxon’s sons and Dorian Nkono is captivating as Troy’s disabled brother.
Sharri Sebbens has directed the play effectively, though at times it feels as though the emotion is forced rather than allowed to naturally appear. Jeremy Allen’s design is evocative and detailed with a beautiful and realistic tree taking centre stage of the domestic garden scene.
It’s a credit to the broadminded programming of the STC that audiences are finally getting to see works such as this, and diverse actors are finally getting the chance to play such roles. While at times the production doesn’t quite land effectively, it is still an enjoying night where you can’t help be captivated by the lives of these profound figures.
