[NEohioPAL] Berko review: RADIO GOLF @ Cleveland Play House

Roy Berko royberko at gmail.com
Thu Feb 16 13:00:17 PST 2012


RADIO GOLF, Cleveland Play House’s Black History month production



Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association, Cleveland Critics Circle)



Black history month means an explosion of theatre offerings in this
multi-racial city.  Ensemble has already performed A SONG FOR CORETTA and
LOWER NINTH.  Karamu staged THE BLUEST EYE, and though it will be beyond
February they will stage GEM OF THE OCEAN from May 11-June 3.  East
Cleveland Theater is staging Wilson’s FENCES February 11-March 4, True
North Cultural Arts will present THE PIANO LESSON from February 17-March 4
and Cuyahoga County Community College stages TWO TRAINS RUNNING at its
Metro campus from March 29-April 7.  The latter four scripts were written
by August Wilson, as is the Cleveland Play House’s present production,
RADIO GOLF.



RADIO GOLF is a seminal script.  It was Wilson’s last work.  He died in
2005, the year the play was published.  It is the final chapter in his
ten-play cycle which intended to chronicle African-American life in
the 20thcentury.




The story centers around Harmond Wilks, a well-educated, wealthy real
estate broker.   He and Roosevelt Hicks want to develop the blighted Hill
District in Pittsburgh.  Wilks is also a candidate for the mayor of the
Steel City.  Problems arise when Wilks discovers that a house in the area
was acquired illegally.  Wilks attempts to buy the property from Old Joe,
the tax delinquent owner, who is a vagrant with a questionable past, but
Old Joe won’t sell.  He has the backing of Sterling Johnson, a construction
worker.  Wilks decides to build around the house, much to the frustration
of his partner, who has worked out a deal with a white developer to be his
“black face” in several deals, including buying a radio station.  On the
day that the house is to be demolished, Hicks and Wilks have a falling out
and Wilks goes to participate in a rally to stop the demolition, thus
giving up his dreams of wealth, his political future, and possibly his wife.



RADIO GOLF is a true final play in the series, as it includes references
and issues that Wilson discussed in earlier works.  It centers on the
question of what it means to be African America.  The play asks whether it
is possible for black culture to be preserved as it is integrated into
mainstream white society.



Wilson focuses his vision on reality.  He opens the issue of the
differences in being a “negra” and a “nigger.”  He asks whether there is a
dissimilarity between the white’s and black’s definition of ethics and
morality.  He examines if progress is really good for black Americans.  He
uses the golf game to illustrate the alterations taking place in the
African American community as they transfer from being denied privileges at
golf courses, into playing the white man’s game.



The play won the New York  Critic’s 2007 new play award.



CPH’s production, under the direction of Lou Bellamy, is generally
effective.  It’s long, especially the first act, which tends to get too
caught up in exposition, thus slowing down the idea development.



Abdul Salaam El Razzac is both poignant and delightful as Old Joe.  When he
is present, he controls the stage with subtlety and character underplay.  Terry
Bellamy, as Sterling, develops a clear character as an advocate for Old Joe
and a conscious for Harmond.  David Alan Anderson is properly manipulative
and smarmy as Roosevelt.  He clearly illustrates he is out for Roosevelt,
and Roosevelt, alone.  Austene Van is properly aloof and self-centered as
Mame Wilks, Harmond’s wife.



James Craven has the difficult job of developing a realistic Harmond.  He
does an excellent job early on.  At the end, however, he starts screaming
and swallowing his words.  His breakdown would have been more effective
with more intense internal emotion and less unbridled hysteria.



Vicki Smith’s set design, Karen Perry’s costumes, Don Darnutzer’s lighting
design and James Swonger’s sound design all help enhance the production.

* *

*CAPSULE JUDGMENT:   RADIO GOLF, the last play in August Wilson’s
monumental 10 play cycle, gets a very good, but not a great production at
the Cleveland Play House.*



RADIO GOLF runs through MARCH 4 in CPH’s Allen Theatre.  For tickets call
216-241-6000 or go to www.clevelandplayhouse.com.
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