August Wilson is a titan of modern theater and his legacy stands especially tall here in Pittsburgh, his hometown and the setting for most of his 10-play Century Cycle. “Radio Golf” represents both the final decade of that century — it’s set in 1997 — and Wilson’s final play. The brilliant production by Pittsburgh Playwrights, running through Sept. 14 with most performances outdoors at the August Wilson House in the Hill District, shouldn’t be missed.
“Radio Golf” premiered on Broadway in 2007, about a year and a half after August Wilson passed away. The play opens with Harmond Wilks, heir to a realty company with ambitions to become Pittsburgh’s first Black mayor, along with his wife, Mame, and their friend, Mellon Bank vice president Roosevelt Hicks, as they embark on a development project to transform the Hill District. However, the plans are complicated when they discover that an old house they must demolish to make the project happen was acquired illegally, and its owner, Elder Joe Barlow, will not sell.
Harmond finds himself caught between his partners’ designs for tearing down and rebuilding the Hill and the desire by some — namely neighborhood resident and old classmate Sterling Johnson — to preserve the community’s history and legacy.
The action of the play takes place entirely within Bedford Hills Redevelopment Project’s office. Scenic designer Mark Clayton Southers (also founder and producing artistic director for Pittsburgh Playwrights) set up a space that would feel familiar to many Pittsburghers who worked in office spaces in the 1990s, complete with Mellon Bank wall calendar. Thanks to director and choreographer Montae Russell and choreographer Rich Dickson, all of the movement and pacing of this production feels natural, making the characters relatable to the audience as neighbors and colleagues and really opening them up to be deeply seen and understood as the story unfolds.
Saturday night’s performance was, like most other performances, meant to occur outdoors at the August Wilson House, but Pittsburgh weather doesn’t like to cooperate. Instead, it was held at the Madison Arts Center, also in the Hill District, in a space intimate enough to pull the audience into the action while still giving the actors room to pace, dance and swing golf clubs. The lighting design by Latrice Lovett, and costumes, hair and makeup by Cheryl El Walker are all understated but enhance the feeling that the audience is looking into a realistic setting full of regular people in the 1990s dealing with triumphs and challenges.
“Radio Golf” is a play about characters, but it’s also a play about perspectives. What is an individual’s responsibility to their community? Does building up require tearing down? Is “progress” worth the loss of a living history? And how is the American dream achieved, especially for those in the Black community? All of these are questions with which Harmond Wilks has to wrestle, and actor Roosevelt Watts Jr., who is a towering and charismatic presence, is mesmerizing as he becomes undone in the pursuit of the right path.
Dominque Briggs plays his wife, Mame, who is in dogged pursuit of the set path forward. At one point, Harmond describes being enchanted by both her softness and strength, and Briggs embodies the two sides of Mame’s character.
Two of the opposing forces pulling on Harmond are Roosevelt (Rich Dickson) and Sterling (Maurice Redwood). Dickson as Roosevelt has enormous presence and swagger, especially in his scenes of boastful joy. Redwood’s Sterling is fierce but relaxed in his own skin and delivers many of the show’s most memorable moments.
Then there is Mike Traylor as Elder Joseph Barlow, the older man whose house is set to be demolished. This is a character that everyone has met, the living embodiment of a community’s heart and soul. The cadence of Traylor’s voice and his gestures are perfect, and he carries himself with a wisdom and guilelessness that evokes immediate affection for “Old Joe.”
“Radio Golf” is as relevant today as it was in 1997 or 2007, and it remains funny, memorable and thought-provoking long after leaving the theater. Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company has crafted the must-see show of the summer.
Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company’s “Radio Golf” will run through Sept. 14 outdoors at the August Wilson House in the Hill District, with indoor Saturday matinee performances at the Madison Arts Center. Get more information and tickets at pghplaywrights.org.