August Wilson’s Fences is one of those plays that most people read at some point in their education, but only by seeing it performed can one fully grasp its poetic simplicity. Fences was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award for its intricately woven story of the personal struggles of a 1950s Black family against the broader social and historical backdrop of the civil rights movement. Co-directors Reggie Guyton and Jasmine French have done the show justice in a small-spaced and moodily lit setting where audience members will feel they’re a part of every joke, painful realization or intense moment.
“I’m excited to bring some August Wilson to Springfield, because we’ve talked about this for a long time and I wanted to give something a little more intimate,” Guyton said.
The Fences narrative is about Troy Maxson – a dictatorial, bombastic, ex-con-turned-family man and one-time baseball star who was unable to achieve his dreams due to racism and societal oppression. Maxson is impressively played by Kess Roberson, who is onstage for nearly the entire two-hour, 45-minute run. He nimbly portrays Maxson’s bitterness and staunch belief he’s in the right – anger blazes in his every scene, whether on the surface or boiling right beneath it.
As audiences move past remembering and/or experiencing this time in history, Maxson’s actions becomes less tolerable and more difficult to elicit empathy. The scene in which Maxson’s long-suffering wife, Rose, played delicately and beautifully by Kelly Spencer, learns of his ultimate betrayal garnered a unique response from the small number of female audience members during the final technical rehearsal. A few sat traditionally quiet and absorbed, but many – this reviewer being one of them – couldn’t help but vocalize a moan, an “mmhm” or a cry and a nod, understanding the complexity of Rose’s pain.
These women have likely lived through their own version of Troy Maxson and understand the battleground with this type of man – how he can love, betray and beat down all in the same sentence, and how in pre-civil rights America he, too, has lived through abuse. Spencer handled this scene with a soulful vulnerability, alternating between frantic pacing and disbelief to guttural cries of deserved judgement. During this, and other fraught scenes among Troy and his sons, Cory and Lyons (played deftly by Jonathan Alamu and Horace Ceaser II), the air inside Peggy Ryder Theatre feels heavy and globular, like the audience is in danger of losing the ability to take a full breath.
Wilson insisted only African Americans direct his plays because they understood his work best and also to give an opportunity in a field dominated by white men. In much the same way, Guyton wanted a woman’s perspective to ground these moments in authenticity, and he chose French as his co-director.
“It was important to me that a Black woman’s voice was heard throughout this show – especially in some of these scenes that involve feminine rage, because men just can’t pull from that,” Guyton said.
“(Guyton) respects my opinion and my vision, and Wilson’s work is so timeless, especially in the Black communities where so much of this trauma still exists,” French said.
Troy’s best friend, Jim Bono, showcases the juxtaposition between Maxson’s dissatisfaction with this life and one who finds quiet gratitude with his, despite systemic limitations. Michael B. Wallace excels in this role as the moral compass sidekick, instantly establishing a clear contrast upon their opening scene entrance. It is immediately recognizable who is the source of the coming conflict and who possesses the quiet dignity necessary to survive this play’s historical timeline of events.
Though specific to the hardships and hopes of Black families in the mid-century, Fences also speaks to generational abuse, neglect and class in the overarching American story. A change of scenery or decade and it could easily be attributed to a Hispanic, Appalachian, Muslim or other type of oppressed group in the U.S. today. Though it is rarely explicitly stated by Wilson’s characters, the institutionalized oppression and racism that people experience swirls throughout this family’s entire identity: where they live, how and where they work, how they interact and how it can destroy from within by extinguishing hope. It echoes out of every line, scene and in those fences – both real and metaphorical. The Hoogland’s Fences production is taut, layered and deserving of a sold-out run.
Fences continues its run at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Peggy Ryder Theatre Nov. 21-23. The Friday and Saturday performances start at 7:30 p.m. and the Sunday matinee begins at 4 p.m. Tickets are available by calling 217-523-2787 or visiting www.hcfta.org/tickets.
This article appears in November 20-26, 2025.
Fences is Phenomenal the cast members are so amazing! *****