Playwright extraordinaire August Wilson wrote a masterpiece of exploration of the human soul in Fences. People in it struggle against the quicksands of life in the 1950's in Pittsburgh.
Denzel Washington gives a virtuoso performance as the firm head of a working-class family whose frustrating life that was unfulfilled because of his color has turned him into a man who protects and covers his soul as he runs his family with a tight grip. He is surrounded by a superb cast including a vivid Viola Davis as his wife and Mykelti Williamson as his head-wounded brother. Under Kenny Leon's direction, there isn't a role that isn't brought to a sense of reality that engrosses the audience and pulls us into the interactions of these marvelous actors as their characters' lives unfold. Played on a wonderful backyard set filled with detail by Santo Loquasto, with superb lighting by Brian MacDevitt, with perfect costumes by Constanza Romero, Wilson's sense of drama with a sprinkling of humor unfolds with not a moment that isn't totally engaging. To be at a play that has such heart, humor and depth of insight into the essence of the human spirit is a privilege (and a delight).
