Fences



Fences is a play by August Wilson that premiered in 1985. Performed in various theaters throughout the country, the first production in Broadway in 1987 starred James Earl Jones and received the Tony Awards for Best Play, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (James Earl Jones), Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play (Mary Alice), and Best Direction of a Play (Lloyd Richards). The play won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Troy Maxson used to play baseball, but now he's a garbageman along with his good friend Jim Bono. Troy has two sons, one from one mother and the other from another mother, his current wife Rose. However, what Rose doesn't know is that Troy's off having an affair with another woman named Alberta.

Over the course of the play, tensions rise within the Maxson family as the physical fence around the house is slowly built up and metaphorical fences are quickly established between each of the family members and Troy himself.

A film adaptation was released in 2016, directed by and starring Denzel Washington and written by the original author. It won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (Viola Davis).


 * Always Someone Better: Cory assumes his father is scared of his son being better at baseball than he is. Troy's dickish move is preventing his son from ever playing baseball in the leagues.
 * Batter Up:
 * Betty and Veronica: Rose, Troy's wife of 18 years is the Betty, and his never-seen mistress Alberta is the Veronica.
 * Calling the Old Man Out:
 * Cloudcuckoolander: Gabriel. The guy thinks he's the similarly named archangel. If YOU had part of your head blown off by a bomb in World War II, you'd be a little loopy too.
 * Troy to some extent. Why, Death is a wrestler and they wrestled to death for three days.
 * The Ghost: Alberta.
 * Minor Major Character:
 * Missing Mom: Troy's mother, and also Troy's first wife, Lyons's mother.
 * Parents as People: Parents as main characters, actually, in terms of Troy and Rose.
 * These Hands Have Killed:
 * Where Are They Now? Epilogue: Note that "now" in the context of this play is used pretty loosely.