rOcKS @ 'Fences' & 'The Scottsboro Boys'

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/16/10 at 2:50pm

Two very different plays about African American life, but in a way, they both compliment each other nicely.

FENCES is one of my favorite plays ever written. I just think it's pretty damn perfect. The current production is fine enough, but it's a bit too clean and predictable. It just never feels totally authentic and organic, save for some very wonderful moments in the second act. For some reason, it also feels very long. The second act is much better than the first but it does feel like it's way longer than it really is.

Denzel Washington is giving the performance he knows people want to see. Which is fine (the audience ate it up) but he sacrifices character at times to be overly brooding and he occasionally over-acts. He is playing Denzel Washington as Troy Maxson, never REALLY digging deep enough to get that I AM DENZEL WASHINGTON sheen off. If that makes any sense.

Faring about a million times better is Viola Davis who absolutely stole the show. I love her and have adored her performances for years and this is one of her best to date. For those who are saying she is bland in the first act, I could see where you are getting this but when she lets loose in the second act, you realize that she's been bottling up these emotions for quite some time. The first act is just a precursor to her absolutely towering performance in the second. When she ripped into Denzel, the audience went nuts. She has my vote for Best Featured Actress, which she will most likely be campaigned for. She is, hands down, the main reason to see this production.

The rest of the cast is alright; Stephen McKinley Henderson is very strong but I found Russell Hornsby to be borderline terrible at times. Very, very over-acty.

It's an alright production of a simply brilliant play. It just feels a bit too clinical to me. No one really dug deep enough, save Davis, to make me really, truly care about the outcome. Denzel could definitely get to that point by opening though. It's beautifully designed, even if the lighting crew needs to work on their cues.

I just wanted to address the audience reaction. I really had no problem with it except for a couple of moments in the second act. There's a scene where *spoiler?* Troy and Corey get into a physical fight. It's actually very nicely-directed and feels very tense but for some reason it elicited laughter from the audience. Not nervous tittering either; big belly laughs. *end spoiler* that was the only moment I felt like standing up and asking everyone what was so funny. Besides that, the vocal responses were pretty entertaining and didn't REALLY disrupt the experience. The guy next to me did lean forward and forcibly hit a woman who shushed him because he kept talking. The woman didn't even respond or get the house manager, which I give her a LOT of credit for. If someone were to hit me (pretty hard) like that, I would have probably lost my sh*t.

But, I digress. It's an alright production with some really wonderful moments, a strong second act, and a powerful performance from Davis.

**1/2 out of ****

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And, a few brief thoughts on SCOTTSBORO. What a show. This is a true masterpiece and the hands down best new musical I've seen so far this season. Stunning, moving, powerful, and ingeniously-crafted and conceived, I couldn't have loved it more. Oddly enough, the night I went, there were at least 20 empty seats scattered throughout the theater. I thought this was selling out? I had to buy my ticket on StubHub because I couldn't find one anywhere else. But, anyway, this is a beautiful, brilliant musical that absolutely deserves a life long after it closes. What a stunning score and what a real impressive directorial job by Stroman. Love, love, loved it.

**** out of ****

Updated On: 4/16/10 at 02:50 PM

[Scottsacto]

Posted: 4/16/10 at 2:53pm

I always enjoy your takes on shows--Rocks!

[Jim3]

Posted: 4/17/10 at 5:10pm

rocks, I enjoy reading your comments, too. Glad you enjoyed the Scottsboro Boys as much as I. It was the most memorable and moving show I saw this past season, and I kept my fingers crossed hoping it would win the Pulitzer.

[perfectliar]

Posted: 4/17/10 at 6:40pm

Jim, it wasn't eligible for this year's Pulitzer; next year, it will be.

[once a month]

Posted: 4/17/10 at 10:25pm

Saw Scottsboro Boys today, what a damned POWERFUL musical. I will never forget it. It's as close to sobbing as I've ever fallen in a theatre. A true work of art. They stated that it was indeed, moving to Broadway but they would not divulge more.