Photo by Liz Lauren.Īs Civil War 2.0 heats up in the real world, Wilson’s astute dissection of the causes of personal and racial animus, delivered by this empathetic and cohesive cast, continues to cross the waters of time. Sydney Charles as Black Mary and Sharif Atkins as Citizen Barlow. Ester helps Citizen navigate his redemption using a map made of a Gullah-looking quilt, all just a few decades removed from the Civil War and manumission papers. What are you going to do now?” Women and women’s work anchor this male-dominated dynamic as the females feed and heal, rend then mend, aid and abet their fellows. Sexual tension percolates too, as Citizen macks on Mary, to which she rebuts, “you’ve got a woman in your hands. Caesar’s trumpeted threats aim to tear down that protection. Photo by Liz Lauren.īiblical references pepper the plot as well, from the Christian names, to Citizen’s quest to have his “soul washed” by Aunt Ester, to the rock wall that Eli and Citizen are building in the yard, using stones provided by Selig. The blue timbers of the set, designed by Linda Buchanan, are interspersed with spaces of equal size as they disappear into the rafters, also supporting the theme of tenuous, murky architecture within these lives. Under Chuck Smith’s direction, Eli begins the production by cleaning his rifle, so the violence to follow is a foregone conclusion. Mary’s brother Caesar (Kelvin Roston Jr.) is the power-hungry police officer who hassles everyone over that crime and more. Pittsburgh is in turmoil due to the recent theft of a bucket of nails from the town’s mill, and a resulting death during the chase.
Lisa Gaye Dixon as Aunt Ester and James A. Williams), a former conductor on the Underground Railroad, aging white go-fer Rutherford Selig (Gary Houston), and troubled young everyman Citizen Barlow (Sharif Atkins). At Ester’s house, the trio interact with Eli’s friend and Ester’s flirt Solly Two Kings (James A. Smith, reprising this role from the 2015 Court Theatre production). Gem of the Ocean was written in 2003 and set in 1904 in the working class Hill District, where 285-year-old Ester Tyler (Lisa Gaye Dixon) lives with her helper and protegee Black Mary (Sydney Charles) and Eli (A.C. Playwright August Wilson’s body of work chronicled the history of Black lives and the impact of systemic racism in his Century Cycle, ten plays set in his hometown of Pittsburgh during each decade of the 20th century. Some jurisdictions and politicians are busily banning books and curriculums that even mention America’s original sin of slavery. Black history is continuously under attack, even during Black History Month.
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