Review: Leeds Playhouse Revival of August Wilson's 'Fences' Praised for Power and Nuance

Leeds Playhouse and Headlong have returned to August Wilson's celebrated Pittsburgh cycle with a revival of his 1985 play Fences, five years after their production of Jitney, according to a review published in The Guardian.

The production, directed by Daniel Bailey, is described in the review as "dynamic" and "fizzing with jazz," combining moments of possibility with taut scenes depicting thwarted ambition and harsh realities of life in 1950s America.

The play centers on the African American Maxson family, with patriarch Troy Maxson at its core. According to the review, Troy is portrayed as a former trash collector, ex-convict and one-time baseball player whose professional prospects were denied because of his race.

Actor Ray Fearon plays Troy, with the review calling his performance "horribly compelling" and describing the character as "a tragic figure, a man made monstrous by circumstance." The reviewer notes that Troy's anger "seems to radiate across his wide shoulders, which he braces against the anticipated onslaught."

The review states that Troy, having been raised in hardship and denied his own dreams, in turn imposes harsh treatment on his two sons, refusing to allow them the possibility of a better future.

The Guardian review situates the production within Wilson's broader body of work exploring themes of family, masculinity and thwarted ambition, noting that Fences uses a domestic setting to address larger national issues of race and inequality in America.