The Compass Wednesday, March 24, 1993 15
U. Players turn in
fine performances
in Wilson's Fences
Rose Maxon (Nikki Fayton) leans over her husband, Troy (Chester Dunton) after he
is knocked to the ground by their son. Tensbn arose when Troy confronted his wife
with his infidelity.
Play portrays chaos
of a world without
black inventions
By Evonne Martyn
Did you know that air conditioners,
weight scales, irons, incandescent
lamps, mops, and street sweepers were
all invented by African Americans?
A play at College of the Albemarle on
Feb. 12, IfiOl Black Inventions is a com
edy production that tells the story of
Black-Americans who had the ingenu
ity to make improvements to their ex
istence.
Other inventions by African Ameri
cans include: jump ropes, traffic lights,
fire extinguishers, pencil sharpeners,
elevators, and fountain p»ens.
Pin Point, the company that presented
the play, gave a lively performance
through both acts. The characters came
to life under their direction and por
trayals.
Act I introduces three prominent
Black inventors: Dr. Daniel Hale Wil
liams, who performed the first open
heart surgery; Jan Ernst Matzeliger, who
invented the machine to make shoes;
George Washington Carver and his in
novations with the peanut, sweet po-
tato,and pecan; and Benjamin Banneker,
who made the first clock.
African-Americans also invented
ironing boards, folding chairs, dust
psns, horsehoes, refrigerated trucks,
and refrigerators.
Act II presents an average American
family: mom, pop, and the required
two children. The family is going
hrough the dinner rountine and using
?^ny black inventions.
The stage goes black as the father
Drama Review
enters the Twilight Zone.
The same scene is played over again
with the father trying to live in a world
with no black inventions. The only
problem wath this is, when he tries to
explain to his family how his day went,
they don't understand. You see, they
never lived in a world withblackinven-
tions.
You can imagine the results. Total
chaos. No one understands the other
and the family thinks the father i s off his
rocker.
Underneath the comedy the play
makes a serious point: You really can't
exist in a world without black inven
tions, which also include oil stoves,
machine guns, lawn sprinklers, law n
mowers, golf tees, and fire escap>e lad
ders.
Pin Point grabbed the audiences at
tention and kept it through the whole
play. The audience sympathizes with
the father when he almost gets run over
by a car because there were no traffic
lights. Pin Point is a five member pro
duction company founded by Ersky
Freeman. Freeman is also director and
resident playwright.
Freeman and his company have also
performed, Portaits In Black, a drama
illusrating the lives of Marian Ander
son, Martin Luther King, and Joe Louis.
Pin Point productions have been
viewed on stage, televised in 47 states,
and in over 700 schools, they have won
numerous awards for "Excellence in
the Arts."
By Tarsha White
The University Players' February pre-
sentationof August'sWilson'sfences was
a gripping drama about the pain of being
black in America. Fences , set in Pitts
burgh in 1957, tells the story of a black
family's struggles and hardships. The
action resolves around the egotistical and
bitter character of Troy Maxon, played by
Chester Dunton. Maxon, a former star of
the Negro baseball league, now finds
himself working as a garbageman.
The story opens with Troy and his
friend Bono (Bobby Lewis) sitting in the
yard drinking gin and talking about the
events of the day.
Troy and Bono's relationship has
spanned thirty-some years. Bono's long
time admiration of Troy's honesty and
strength is the basis of their friendship.
In the first few scenes, Troy and his
wdfe Rose (Nikki Fayton) seem to have a
great relationship. But as the action un
folds it is clear that something had gone
wTongsomewhere. Roseisactuallyafraid
of Troy and everything she does is only to
please him.
Rose, the strongest figure in the play,
has a great love for her family and is
always the one who settles disputes.
There is tension, too, between Troy and
his sons, Lyons (David Scott Gibson), and
Cory (Eric Skinner). Being very ambi
tious and athletic, Cory strives to become
a professional football player. Because of
this, Cory could never seeeye-to-eye with
his father.
"The white man ain't gonna let him get
nowhere with that football," says Troy
when the subject is brought up.
Troy is also disappointed in Lyons,
w^ho wants to become a musician.
Lyons, who doesn't like taking orders,
refusesto workforsomeoneelse. "I don't
wanna be punchingnobody'stimedock,"
he says.
Then there is Troy's younger brother,
Gabriel. Injured in World War II he has a
metal plate in his head. Gabe carries an
old trumpet tied around his waist and
believes wath every fiber of his being that
he is the Archangel Gabriel.
The plot thickens when Troy finds out
that the woman he has been carrying on
an affair vdth, Alberta, has beconve preg
nant with his child. He finally decides to
tell Rose about her and expects her to help
him take raise the child.
Later, Rose and Troy find out that
Alberta died while giving birth to the
baby girl, Raynell, and Troy is forced to
take the child. He then pleads with Rose
to give the child "a mother." Rose finally
gives in out of pity for the child and
Drama Review
decides to keep it.
'Trom right now.... this child got a
mother. But you're a womanless man,"
says Rose, and from then on Rose and
Troy's marriage is one of bitter silence.
Chester Dunton turns out a great per
formance in Fences., displaying consunv
mate skill in both comedy and drama.
Dunton is remembered for his fine per
formances in Fortinbras, Bus Stop, and Joe
Turner's Come and Gone.
Nikki Fayton's portrayal of the self-
sacrificing Rose was credible and appeal
ing. With such acting credits as The King
and I, The Sound of Music, and the Killing
of Satan's Wife at Norfolk State University
it is no surprise that Fayton was a favorite
tomanyof the viewers of Fences. Fayton
has received "Best Actress" nomination
from Folio, a major entertainment maga
zine,
Eric Skinner and David Scott Gibson
both make their acting debut in Fences.
Skinner performed brilliantly in this de
manding role of Cory, acting out a broad
range of emotions toward his father.
Gibson's performance as Lyons was
equally good, although his character was
somewhatlessdemandingthanSkinnCT's.
Bobby J. Lewas, a biology professor at
ECSU, performs his second role with the
University Players in Fences. He is also
remembered for his role as the Judge in
Hedda Gabler.
Cordell Garrett performs his first act
ing role in fences, as well. Garrett's char
acter, Gabriel, added humor to the play.
Garrett did an outstanding job of playing
such a difficult role, since Gabriel is a
mentally unstable character.
Debra Armstrong performed her role
as Raynell with ease.
Randy J. Berry is to be commended for
his work on the professionally executed
scenery and lighting, which was appro
priate for the time of the play. It was
realistic and the lighting seemed flawless
during the performance.
Fences author August Wilson is the
winner of the 1990 Pulitzer Prize forTTie
Piano Lesson and the 1987 Pulitzer Prize
for Fences. His other plays produced on
Broadway are Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,
foe Turner's Come and Gone (produced by
the Players in 1990) and Tvm Trains Run-
ning.
Soon after its Broadway opening in
1987, Fences earned the praises of major
critics in New York. The play was also
the recipient of the Tony, the New York
Critics Circle award, and The Pulitzer
Prize for Best Play of the Year.