Reviews

Fences: 1957 by August Wilson

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mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition

5.0

August Wilson captured the pitfalls of being a Black man in a white society, the toxic masculinity created as a result of the aforementioned pitfalls, and the unfathomable hurt disguised as rage inflicted on the successive generations masterfully. Not only that he did it almost 40 years ago when these topics, in many ways, were only beginning to take root in the social consciousness.

In short, Fences was excruciating. I actually care about my digital footprint so I'm not going to go into detail about why it was particularly disaffecting to me.

A high recommendation from me - especially if you're a young Black person attempting to navigate a complex relationship with a person of the older generation. I believe it provides a special insight into why that complexity may exist particularly if that person is a Black man.

maggiee's review against another edition

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tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

MID AF

byjovie_'s review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

karah_'s review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

mxunsmiley's review against another edition

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Absolutely a play I would like to see on stage. Everything about it is so strong. The theme of one's relationship and obligation to family is something to be explored, amidst systemic racism and the changing norms during this time period. It's hard to formulate intelligible feelings about the main character, Troy, because he is so complex and while he's very infuriating, he's just emblematic of the struggles of Black Americans at the time along with his familial upbringing which he projected onto his own family, an upbringing also informed by the aforementioned systemic anti-Black racism. I also loved Rose; she was probably my favorite character. It was so painful to read her conflicted feelings toward her husband, how she didn't have the liberty of venturing outside of her familial responsibility as Troy did. Then the symbolism behind the fence was very fitting. I would've killed to see James Earl Jones in this honestly.