Reviewed
by Judy Richter
The late August Wilson's 10-play cycle of African American life in the 20th century stands as a monumental accomplishment, making him one of the century's greatest playwrights of any race. The penultimate play in terms of when it was written but the first play in the cycle is "Gem of the Ocean," which is set in 1904 in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, where all of the plays except for the '20s entry, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," are set. American Conservatory Theater is staging a strong production of "Gem" under the direction of Ruben Santiago-Hudson, who appeared in the original Broadway production.
The
action takes place in the home of Aunt Ester (Michele Shay), a 285-year-old former slave
who was brought over from Africa as a young girl. Aunt Ester is known as a
woman who can heal souls. It's that reputation that brings a troubled young
man, Citizen Barlow (Owiso Odera), to her door one day. Recently arrived from the South,
where blacks are still terribly mistreated, Citizen has discoverd that life
isn't much better in the North, at least not when he tries to work at the local
tin mill. He tells Aunt Ester he has killed a man.
Aunt
Ester gives him a room and sends him off on a spiritual journey that climaxes
in a stunning scene. Aunt Ester, joined by her handyman, Eli (Chuck
Patterson); her
housekeeper, Black Mary (Roslyn Ruff); and a longtime friend, Solly Two Kings (Steven
Anthony Jones),
leads Citizen in a hallucinatory ritual that evokes a slave ship's crossing of
the Atlantic and the mythical City of Bones, home of all the Africans who died
during the arduous trip.
Before
then, however, Wilson has carefully introduced all these characters as well as
Black Mary's half-brother, Caesar (Gregory Wallace), a rigid police officer who
rules the neighborhood and who has no empathy for the plight of those less
fortunate than he. The play's other character is Rutherford Selig (Raynor
Scheine), a
white traveling salesman who is friendly with Aunt Ester and her household.
Wilson
also introduces strands of several stories that seem somewhat disparate at
first, but gradually he weaves them together into a dramatic, cogent tapestry.
As is typical of Wilson's style, several characters have long speeches that
resemble arias and that tell of their experiences. In one such speech, for
example, Solly Two Kings talks about his role in the Underground Railroad,
which helped slaves escape from the South into the free North.
Although
Wallace comes across as too much of the heavy right away -- almost like the
sneering villain in a melodrama -- he does portray a man who appears to have
forgotten his roots and his people. The other actors are terrific, especially
Odera during Citizen's extraordinary transformation during the City of Bones
scene. Shay's Aunt Ester could be a bit more mystical, but she carries herself
with the dignity and authority that the ancient woman has earned.
The
living room set by Michael Carnahan, with its steep staircase to the left; the dramatic
lighting by Jane Cox; the period costumes by Karen Perry, especially a dress and matching
hat for Black Mary; sound by Garth Hemphill; and music by Bill Sims Jr. and Broderick Santiago all work toward making this an
outstanding, memorable production, one that surely would have made Wilson
proud.
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