A beautifully acted revival of August Wilson’s masterpiece
here is a bitter irony at the heart of August Wilson’s Fences: a man who has spent his life fighting against limitations imposed upon him becomes the very person placing limitations on those he loves. Daniel Bailey’s excellent production at Lyric Hammersmith captures this contradiction with remarkable sensitivity.
The play centres on Troy Maxson , a former baseball player in 1050s whose ambitions were frustrated by racial discrimination. Now working as a rubbish collector, Troy has made peace with neither his past nor the changing world around him. His greatest tragedy is his inability to recognise that his children might have opportunities he never enjoyed.
Fearon is magnificent, giving Troy an imposing presence, sharp humour and an almost exhausting certainty in his own righteousness. Yet beneath the confidence lies a man terrified of becoming irrelevant. His exchanges with Cory (Josh Tedeku), whose sporting ambitions he refuses to support, reveal how easily parental protection can disguise resentment.
But perhaps the most interesting contradiction lies in Troy’s relationship with love. He speaks endlessly, filling the stage with stories, arguments and explanations, yet rarely listens. For him, providing for his family is proof enough of devotion. For those around him, it is increasingly clear that responsibility without tenderness is a poor substitute for affection.
Madeline Appiah delivers an exceptional Rose, whose quiet strength gradually reveals the enormous cost of keeping a family together. Her confrontation with Troy is devastating, not simply because of his betrayal, but because we finally understand how much of her own life has been spent accommodating his. Michael Ahomka-Lindsay brings welcome warmth as Lyons, while Tedeku gives Cory both youthful hope and growing defiance.
The detailed domestic set, supported by the atmospheric lighting, makes the family home feel both welcoming and restrictive. Khali Madovi’s jazz and blues-infused soundtrack adds warmth and cultural depth without overwhelming Wilson’s words.
Bailey wisely trusts the writing and his cast, allowing humour and ordinary conversation to expose extraordinary emotional damage.
Ultimately, Fences is about more than racism, disappointed ambition or difficult fatherhood. It asks whether understanding the origins of someone’s cruelty makes that cruelty any easier to forgive. Wilson offers no comfortable answer, and this production is all the stronger for it.
A superb, deeply human evening of theatre that deserves every one of its five stars.
Fences runs at Lyric Hammersmith Theatre until 31 October 2026.