South Coast Repertory Theater ends its 2011-2012 season with “Jitney,” part of playwright August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle, his lifetime achievement of writing 10 plays, one for every decade of the 20th century, exploring the black experience in Pittsburgh.
I went into the show knowing nothing about it, expecting something along the lines of the hit sitcom of the late ’70s, “Taxi,” in which drivers at New York cab station solve small problems and meddle in each other’s lives with humor and wit. “Jitney” also takes place in a gypsy cab (jitney) station. But that is where the similarities end. “Jitney,” which takes place in the ’70s in urban Pittsburgh, is tough yet has big heart.
August Wilson spent his formative years in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, where he “educated himself in the neighborhoods schools, at the Carnegie Library on Wylie Avenue and inside the jitney stations, barbershops, and restraints where he listened closely to great, local storytellers.” The characters Wilson created for “Jitney” undoubtedly came from a those days.
The jitney station is much more than a place the drivers work, it is where they offer each other support, argue, and confront issues, large and small. The audience is taken on an emotional ride; a journey into the complex struggles each man faces individually, as a group, and within the context of a changing society.
The show deals entirely in grays, there are no simple fixes, no obvious rights and wrongs. “Jitney” is deeply human, and the chemistry among the cast was electric and powerful.
We meet Becker, the owner of the jitney station (Charlie Robinson) and his son Booster (Montae Russell) who is just released from prison after 20 years. Youngblood, (Larry Bates), the youngest of the drivers, recently back from Vietnam, has a young son with Rena (Kristy Johnson). Shealy, a numbers taker who uses the jitney station’s pay phone to conduct business is played by Rolando Boyce, and Turnbo, the station’s gossip, is played by Ellis E. Williams. Fielding, (David McKnight) is the drunk and level-headed Korea War vet, Doub is played by (James A. Watson Jr.) Philmore (Gregg Daniel) is a regular passenger and hotel doorman.
The acting, superb direction by Ron OJ Parson, the spot-on set design by Shaun Motley, and the groovy costumes by Dana Rebecca Woods, all earned the well-deserved and enthusiastic standing ovation they received.
Free post-show discussions with the members of the cast will follow the performances on Wed, May 23, and Tues. May 29. Tickets $20-$80. For details and tickets, visit www.scr.org or call 714-208-5555.
– By Jill Fales
This review first appeared at OCSocialScene.com.
