Strong local cast propels ‘Jitney,’ August Wilson’s story of father-son dynamics

Here’s why I love August Wilson: The self-educated high-school dropout who went on to claim two Pulitzer Prizes wrote with a fierce, singular voice and achieved something no other American playwright had attempted by creating 10 plays depicting African-American life in each decade of the 20th century.

And here’s why Wilson bugs me: His plots often dilute the power of the language voiced by his characters, who speak in poetic metaphors embedded within a sophisticated vernacular. His characters are storytellers, and his plays are at their best when we see people just sitting around talking.

“Jitney,” set in the 1970s, was the first of Wilson’s plays in what would become his historical cycle of dramas, most of them set in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, where the playwright spent most of his childhood and adolescence. Over the years he rewrote it, and the piece was not produced in New York until 2000 — after he had collected Pulitzers in 1987 for “Fences” and 1990 for “The Piano Lesson.”

The Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre production, directed by Karen Paisley, is performed by a strong cast of Kansas City-based actors.

Set in the office of an unlicensed taxi service, Wilson introduces us to a vivid gallery of characters: Becker (Granvile O’Neal), the no-nonsense owner; Turnbo (Jerron O’Neal), a crotchety busy-body; Youngblood (Frank Oakley III), a mechanic trying to save money to buy a house for his young family; Fielding (Desmond “337” Jones), a driver with a taste for liquor; Doub (Theodore “Priest” Hughes), a veteran driver who sometimes asserts himself as a peacemaker; Shealy (George Forbes), a flamboyant bookie who uses the office pay phone to take bets; Booster (Damron Russel Armstrong), Becker’s son, who has just returned from serving 20 years in prison; Rena (Shon Ruffin), Youngblood’s distrustful young wife; and Philmore (Sam Salary), who works in the neighborhood.

They key conflicts reside in Becker’s anger-fueled relationship with Booster, a once-promising science student who was sent to prison after shooting a white girlfriend who lied about their relationship, and the threat posed by the city’s effort to condemn the building in the name of urban renewal.

These are good actors, and each performer has opportunities to shine. An extended, hyper-emotional clash between Becker and Booster becomes a dramatic highlight as performed by Granvile O’Neal and Armstrong. Jerron O’Neil turns in one of the show’s most vivid performances as the garrulous Turnbo. Ruffin renders Rena a clear and sympathetic voice in a play that’s really all about male pride. The charismatic Jones and Hughes, who perform together regularly as hip-hop performance artists, blend nicely into the ensemble.

Forbes, who appears far too seldom on local stages, is a comic delight as the fast-talking Shealy, and Salary is quietly believable in the minor role of Philmore.

Wilson’s plotting falls into two categories in this play: Awkward and convenient. An unexpected off-stage death sets up a resolution that may satisfy some viewers’ desire for a tidy, feel-good ending. Much of the action feels like a mechanical process of getting characters on and off stage depending on the playwright’s dramatic needs of the moment.

Still, there are monologues and entire scenes that soar. In these moments you get a glimpse of the universal human condition in which Wilson’s plays are rooted. The physical production benefits from Karen Paisley’s gritty, realistic scenic design and Eric Sword’s sharp costumes, which include one of the most bizarre and enduring symbols of the 70s — the leisure suit.

This story was originally published March 7, 2015 at 12:34 PM with the headline "Strong local cast propels ‘Jitney,’ August Wilson’s story of father-son dynamics."