Headlong’s revival of August Wilson’s tragedy Fences triumphs in composing cumulative resonance
Associate partner of the Oxford Playhouse, Headlong, offer a complex and brooding take on August Wilson’s 1985 classic play, Fences. Daniel Bailey makes evident his appreciation of Wilson’s imagery and lyricism from the outset, raising the curtain on Gabriel (Simon-Anthony Rhoden) attempting to tease music from an unyielding trumpet. The instrument sways, hanging cross-body from a piece of twine around Gabriel’s torso, echoing his WWII experiences with a subtle flair which was maintained throughout. Jai Morjaria’s gorgeous lighting design casts swirling shadows across the stage which, when met with the eerie echoes of the band juxtaposed against Gabriel’s silent trumpet blows, offered an impressively immediate goosebump moment. The timer is set, the tragedy is on.
Though before Headlong’s symbolic mastery can seep too deeply under our skin, we are brought into the domestic sphere of the Maxon family’s 1950’s home and treated to this cast’s fantastic naturalism. Ray Fearon is masterful in his depiction of patriarch Troy, attempting to reconcile his ambitions of setting up his family for success with his deep rooted resentment of the opportunities racial oppression stole from his own future. Everal A Walsh as the wise yet laid back Jim is the perfect antidote to Fearon’s obsessing Troy; the pair have a wonderful synergy sharing effortless moments of humour as they beautifully portray a longtime friendship. Similarly, Madeline Appiah’s Rose possesses quiet strength, eyeing her Troy with cautious adoration, and forming a compelling contrast to his assumption of ownership.
By the end of act one, I was entirely engrossed in the slow war of attrition beginning to unfold within the increasingly tense Maxwell household. Headlong’s commitment to denying audiences the spectacle and instant gratification that is all-too-present in the entertainment industry is highly commendable, successfully brewing a slow-burn tragedy. However, having seen the excellent fusion of design and production elements in the show’s opening moments, I left this act certain there was far more waiting in the wings.
By act two, Lily Arnold’s set combined with Headlong’s moving underscoring of Jazz music delivered by their actor-muso cast, elevates the production to a standard that is truly magnificent from start to finish. As the hopeful flickers that punctuate act one fade, seeds of detail planted in the play’s first half gain retrospective resonance. As the rigidity in Troy’s stance and outlook sets itself into irreversible stone, the design elements – a light creeping subtly across the stage borders; a revolve opening its caverns to the dismantling household; the dissonant outcry of brass instruments – reinforce the evergrowing enclosure of this unraveling family pitted against injustice.
Pictured: Madeline Appiah as Rose, Josh Tedeku as Cory and Ray Fearon as Troy. Image Credits owed to Tyler Fayose.
Here, Madeline Appiah shines, her vocals cut with outrage and hurt yet her physicality laboured with the restraint of a woman tasked with inescapable familial responsibility. Appiah is outstanding in her ability to present Rose’s incredible heart without ever undermining her strength.
Headlong’s revival of Fences is impressively honed, with the simmering first act infusing significance into the explosive second. Bailey has a sharp directorial eye for handling breath, music, design aspects and subtle movement with a lyrical touch, yet marrying this with clearly executed naturalism. This ensures Wilson’s words are not merely received as a snapshot of the past, but what Bailey aptly accolades as “more than a commentary … a breathing sentence of the past, the present and the future”.
This show runs at Oxford Playhouse until 3rd Oct. Tickets here.