Radio Free Pittsburg: Radio Golf
by David Noble Dandridge
02-29-2008

Written by August Wilson
Presented by the Saint Louis Black Repertory Theatre

Premiering in the year of his death, “Radio Golf” was the final play of August Wilson’s life. It’s also the final play of his Pittsburgh Cycle, a collection of ten plays that focus on the African American experience, each set in a different decade of the 20th century; all taking place in and around Pittsburgh’s predominantly black Hill District. “Radio Golf” is set in 1996, but speaks largely to the current moment. It’s hard to watch the show and not think about Barack Obama’s presidential candidacy or even issues that hit closer to home like gentrification and eminent domain abuse.

At the center of the action is Harmond Wilks, an Ivy League educated lawyer and land developer with designs on becoming Pittsburgh’s first black mayor. He plans to run as an urban renewal candidate after his real estate firm builds a new high-rise (along with a Starbuck’s and a Barnes & Noble) in the Hill District. Problem is, in order for the plan to go through, Harmond has to tear down the house at 1839 Wylie, home of the late folk legend Aunt Ester and the setting for Wilson’s “Gem of the Ocean,” chronologically, the first in his ten play cycle. When the house’s most recent owner, Elder Joseph Barlow, (who lost the property due to back taxes), threatens to rally the community against Wilks’ demolition plans, Harmond must choose between his financial and political ambitions and his respect for the history of the community.

As Harmond Wilks, Canadian discovery Andre Sills turns a commanding performance, as he did in this season’s “Othello.” He may be a bit young for the role, but only when Wilks makes reference to his twin brother dying in Vietnam did I find Sills’ age distracting. Bianca Laverne Jones as Harmond’s equally ambitious wife also does fine work, but this role does not provide the same showcase for her talents that her role in Wilson’s “King Hedley II” did. I may be in the minority opinion on this, but I thought Darryl Alan Reed was terribly miscast as Iago in the Black Rep’s “Othello.” Here he is much more in his element as Wilks’ upwardly mobile and morally flexible business partner.

However, the show really belongs to veteran actors A.C. Smith as an aging contractor and Erik Kilpatrick as Elder Barlow. They provide the show with its humor, its heart and its folksy wisdom. In particular, Kilpatrick turns in an especially brilliant performance in a long line of fine performances.

It’s much easier to capture the look of a decade long since passed, so Karen Perry’s costumes are all the more impressive for making a play set a mere 12 years ago feel like a period piece. The yellow and black number worn by Harmond’s wife is so 90’s, it hurts. The sweater worn by Elder Barlow is also quite a find. Harlan Penn’s set felt very authentic and I also liked the way it gave a sense of the surrounding community outside Harmond’s office. The subtle play of Jim Burwinkle’s lights on the periphery of the set during the scene changes was also noteworthy. Director Lorna Litttleway pulls strong performances from her ensemble and keeps the show moving at a confident pace.

For those who (like me) were disappointed with Wilson’s writing in “Gem of the Ocean,” “Radio Golf” is a reassuring return to form; it’s not on the level of “Fences,” but is on par with “King Hedley II.”

One minor complaint: of all the different versions of Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies” that play during the show, Al Jarreau’s amazing rendition was not one of them.

“Radio Golf” continues through March 9. For information: http://www.theblackrep.org

David Noble Dandridge can be reached at radicalwraith-theatre@yahoo.com.

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