NEW YORK—You can't outrun the past, no matter how hard you may try—one of the themes in August Wilson's very strong Radio Golf.
The 10th and final work in Wilson's 10-play cycle chronicling the African-American experience in the 20th century, decade by decade, Golf is set in 1997 where real estate developer Harmond Wilks (Harry Lennix) is hoping to become the first African-American mayor of Pittsburgh.
With the aide of his wife/campaign manager Mame, (Tonya Pinkins), and business partner Roosevelt Hicks (James A. Williams), Wilks's future seems all but assured.
Wilks and Hicks are also pushing for a large redevelopment project in the city's Hill District, an area which has long struggled with decay and neglect.
These plans are put in jeopardy with the appearance of Elder Joseph Barlow (Anthony Chisholm), who claims to own a house scheduled for demolition—a structure it turns out, which Wilks's family has been paying back taxes on since his grandfather's time.
In trying to get to the bottom of this mystery, Wilks's eyes are opened to a world he never really knew—or perhaps tried to forget.
However, when he tries to do the right thing and bring these two worlds together, he forgets the basic rule in business: that the bottom line is always green and to some people (including those closest to him) what interferes with the bottom line must be swept aside.
Radio Golf is different from most other Wilson plays which are usually steeped in the feeling of the time portrayed and the culture being shown. Here, the flow seems slightly out of synch. It's disconcerting until one realizes that this was the author's intention, as the work looks at an upwardly mobile group of people who are disconnected from their roots, disconnected in way that Barlow and his neighbor Sterling Johnson (John Earl Jelks)—someone who also has ties to Wilks's past—are not.
The casting is very good. Lennix is believable as a the man who thinks he has it all ahead of him, until his past offers him a chance to be reborn—if that's what he wants. Williams is good as a man who desperately wants his own piece of the American dream even if it means sacrificing a piece of his soul to get it.
Chisholm and Jelks offer a nice touch of Wilson's signature combination of mysticism, faith, and street sense. Pinkins is saddled with the least active role, being mostly a cheerleader for her husband and offering warnings when his priorities change; but she acquits himself well. As does Kenny Leon with his very able direction.
There's a circular sense to the play, a feeling of going back to where it all began, both in terms of one man's journey, and with Wilson's entire body of work. And the results are very satisfying indeed.
Radio Golf
Cort Theatre
138 West 48th Street
Tickets: 212-239-6200, 800-432-7250 or www.telecharge.com
Open Run
Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication THE STAGE.
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