****HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Playwright August Wilson, famous for creating his "Century Cycle" of ten plays exploring and celebrating the African American experience, was quite clearly a very good listener. One can't help picturing him seated in one of his favorite diners or coffee shops located within the Hill District neighborhood of his native Pittsburgh, with his omnipresent yellow legal notepad in hand, eavesdropping on the conversations taking place around him and jotting down notes or nascent ideas for future projects. 4 SPOTLIGHTS
Wilson had such a good ear for natural speech patterns that many of his plays feature a close-knit group of characters who seem to have known one another for ages, oftentimes just sitting around shooting the breeze -- usually to great comic effect -- while audiences relish the richly poetic dialogue that was written. His play "Seven Guitars" is one of his best at illustrating just how strong the bonds of friendship can be while also illustrating how Wilson used that language to create fully-developed characters
City Lit Theatre is observing the 30th anniversary of "Seven Guitars" with a very powerful and satisfying production. Director Manny Buckley has assembled a stellar ensemble, in which each actor has at least one moment where they shine brightly. Buckley has done a wonderful job of creating a true sense of camaraderie amongst these characters and the ensemble is a solid knot of unity. The small space at City Lit where "Seven Guitars" has been staged greatly benefits from the intimacy that this particular Wilson play requires.
Floyd "Schoolboy" Barton (Jordan Gleaves) has just returned to the boarding house run by Louise (Andrea Conway-Diaz) after spending 90 days in jail for vagrancy. Floyd is a blues musician who recorded a song in a recording studio in Chicago one-year prior which has now become a huge hit on the radio. Problem is that Floyd pawned his guitar in order to purchase flowers for his mother's grave. Now that he has become somewhat famous, Floyd needs to get his guitar back to record even more material.
"Seven Guitars" is set in 1948. While the end of World War II is subtly referenced, most of these characters are more concerned whether Joe Lewis will win his next fight instead of wondering who is favored in that year's upcoming presidential election. All of the characters, however, view Floyd as their ticket out of the Hill District.
Vera (Maureen Azzun) is Floyd's ex-girlfriend. Early on she laments the fact that Floyd is a womanizer and she wants more than just their normal on-again, off-again relationship. She has a hard decision to make if Floyd should ask her to join him on his return trip to Chicago.
Canewell (Jarvell Williams) is Floyd's childhood friend who also plays harmonica as part of Floyd's band and has a soft spot in his heart for Vera. The other musician, Red Carter (Brian Bradford) is a drummer in the band as well as being a new father.
Hedley (Robert Howard) is a Caribbean immigrant who has dreams in which Buddy Bolden, the famous New Orleans trumpet player, appears and brings him a large amount of money so that he, Hedley, can purchase a plantation of his own. Howard does a wonderful job, particularly with the difficult West Indian accent.
Entering all of their lives, suddenly if not entirely unexpectedly, is Louise's niece Ruby (Tiffany Williams), a young pregnant woman escaping Alabama and unsure of who is the father of her unborn child. Hedley, who has never been married and has no offspring, hopes that Ruby may be the answer to his desire to leave behind his very own unique legacy.
While "Seven Guitars" opens and closes with the same scene, it pretty much answers all of the questions posed between those two scenes quite succinctly. Except for one. What ever became of Ruby's unborn child? For those who may be curious, they will have to delve into Wilson's later play, "King Hedley II," which takes place roughly 35 years later and continues the character's arc from "Seven Guitars."
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"Seven Guitars" continues until December 1, 2024
City Lit Theatre is located at 1020 West Bryn Mawr Avenue, on the second floor (accessible via elevator) of the Edgewater Presbyterian Church
Performances are on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 PM, Sundays at 3:00 PM with select Mondays, November 18 and 25 at 7:30 PM
Tickets: available online at www.citylit.org or by phone at 773-293-3682
Running time is approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes with one intermission