Customer Reviews

August Wilson Century Cycle

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

5 stars for one of the most significant literary/theatrical endeavors of the last century, August Wilson's cycle of ten plays, a decade-by-decade chronicle of ordinary African-American family life from 1900-2000, elevated to the extraordinary by some of the most powerful poetic diction ever to grace the American stage; Wilson was the successor and peer of Eugene O'Neill and Tenessee Williams, refracted through the sensibility of James Baldwin. The bars, the churches, the backporch, the white-picket fence front yard, the crack-vial strewn alleys, the jails, the recording studios, the ballparks, this was the terrain Wilson took us through, no place was alien to him, every character, old , young, male, female, upwardly mobile, downwardly spiraling, or just holding on, saint and sinner had their gospel and blues-drenched monologue/moment in the spotlight. These ten linked plays are essential reading, and bear in mind Wilson kept himself alive while through sheer force of will while in the throes of a terminal illness to make sure he finished the cycle. And for the first time ever, all ten have been housed in one volume.

So why oh why has the tome been priced in the three figures, beyond the scope of the very people who would most benefit by reading it? A sin and a shame...one star to the publisher, Mr. Wilson's estate, whoever thought this gouging was necessary.

Having read all these plays as they emerged in print, having seen many of them on stage over the past 23 years, and having just had the ecstatic experience of witnessing all ten plays in the cycle performed in chronological order at the Kennedy Center in Washington, I confess a strong bias in this review! I believe that every literate American should have this set on his or her bookshelf. It will provoke laughter and tears, stir the mystic chords that bind all people together regardless of race or status, and provide the satisfying recognition that -- while life is an inscrutable mystery -- it is also a rich and rewarding adventure.

This is a proper finale to Wilson's century cycle, I read this play and the nine others as part of a college class and it wraps up the saga with Wilson's usual brand of honesty that makes his work so compelling. It speaks with sharp tongue about the ills of the black community but it all has the cathartic ring of truth. It is a bit slow to start but is an engaging story of redemption that is as funny as it is thought provoking.

I bought this collection once it came down to its current price and I must say it's worth every penny, especially when you consider how much it would cost to buy these books separately. The quality is excellent and you get all ten plays in the century cycle. This is a must for every home library, especially if you appreciate the "greatness" of August Wilson. I find myself reading one of these books before I experience an August Wilson's play. The last theatrical performance I experience in person was "Gem of the Ocean", and right in my palms inside the theater with me was "Gem of the Ocean" hardcover book from this collection. It was wonderful having it during intermission, because I could go back over past scenes upon the stage for further understanding and get some insight for what was expected once intermission was over. Before this collection I had to settle for the paperbacks, which always showed signs and use like most paperbacks, but this hardcover collection is to be treasured and there is nothing out there that can even compare. The case keeps all ten hardcover books perfectly together and it's something that will bring enlightenment to any home! God is Love!

This is one of the most interesting and brilliant plays I've ever read. If you haven't ever read August Wilson, then do yourself a favor and pick up this play. It's fast paced, so even if you're not coming to the play with literary expectations you will still be entertained.

It's hilarious and dramatic at the same time. I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times reading Radio Golf while I was out in public, reading it in a cafe.

Radio Golf touches on our differences. One of the themes is the assimilation of two different cultures, (white, black). The main character is running for mayor, a clever plot element, because in the process he needs support from everyone, across gender and culture. In the beginning, the play focuses on our differences, in the end we realize the prejudices only exist in our heads.

Pick this up.

My students and I read Radio Golf in preparation for a video conferences in which professional actors were rehearsing a scene from the play for a show. The main character, Harmond Wilks, dreams of becoming the first black mayor of Pittsburgh, and it looks as if he has a good chance of doing so, but when he is confronted with evidence of an injustice that he can't ignore, and tries to right it, he stands to lose it all. A true, heroic figure, he soon realizes the ugly truth that "what is right is not always popular, and what is popular is not always right."

_Radio Golf_ is is the last play in August Wilson's "Century Series" set in 1997 Pittsburgh and, after The Piano Lesson (The August Wilson Century Cycle), it is his most powerful piece. In concluding his magnum opus, Wilson ends where the series began, at 1839 Wylie St. (the setting of Gem of the Ocean (August Wilson Century Cycle).) The Hill District has become derlict - a run-down part of the city where crime is rampant, poverty is endemic. Harmond Wilks, a candidate for mayor, and his business partner Roosevelt Hicks see an opportunity to redevelop the Hill District - gentrifying it and making millions for themselves. Their plans go awry, however, when it becomes apparent that the center of their redevelopment, 1839 Wylie, was illeagally purchased by the development company and the rightful owner, Elder Joseph Barlow, refuses to let his family home be torn down. A crisis of conscience follows: should Wilks proceed with the development? His position in the city and candidacy would allow him to illeaglly proceed, but he is morally conflicted; Hicks has no compunction.

The play is powerful for a number of reasons: unlike many of Wilson's plays, the plot only obliquely addresses race - the conflict here is one of social class rather than of race directly. It also raises the question of how much responsibility does a society have to its underprivlidged? It was the issue of gentrification that resonated most strongly with me, however. As the Hill District is redeveloped, the long-time African-American community would be forced out (a Starbucks, Barnes and Noble, and Whole Foods would replace homes) replaced with business, homes and services catering to the upper-middle class (whites as well as African-Americans.) This is happening in my own city, and in cities around the country (5-Points in Denver, the Treme in New Orleans, the site of the old Cabrini Green in Chicago to name a few).

The injustice of the process of gentrification is what WIlson highlights; it is essentially a class-conflict. As one working-class character, Sterling, reminds Wilks, "The white mayor he be the mayor of white folks. Black folks can't get the streets cleaned. The schools don't have no textbooks. Don't have no football uniforms, The mayor be the mayor of white folks. ... What's wrong with being the mayor for black folks?" To which Wilks responds, "I'm going to be the mayor for everybody. Its not about being black or white, it's about being American." Later in the play Hicks tells Sterling, "It's not my fault if your daddy's in jail, your mama's on drugs, your little sister's pregnant and the kids don't have any food 'cause the welfare cut off the money. Roosevelt Hicks ain't holding nobody back. Roosevelt Hicks got money. Roosevelt Hicks got a job because Roosevelt Hicks wanted one. You ... kill me blaming somebody else for your troubles. Get up ... quit stealing ... quit using drugs ... go to school ... get a job ... pay your taxes. Oh, I see, you can't do that because Roosevelt Hicks is holding you back."

In the forward, August Wilson writes, "In the twenty-first century, we can go forward together. That was my idea behind the play." He has done this, and succeeded brilliantly in reminding us that all Americans have a fundamental responsibility to do right by each other. Such egalitarianism is at the heart of our shared national ideal. If you have a chance to see the play performed, do not miss it. Reading the play is an equally rewarding experience. My highest recommendations.

Radio Golf is another great snap shot in the African American Experience by August Wilson. It tells an excellent story of what happened after urban renewal to neighborhoods and the people who are trying to hold on to its rich heritage and move into the future. Leaves plenty of room for discussion throughout the book if you are a teacher.

This ten-volume set of plays, August Wilson Century Cycle, is a fitting tribute to arguably the finest African-American playwright to date. As a college professor who regularly teaches drama, I have read and taught the plays in separate editions, so the quality of the writing/theatre in August Wilson was not new to me.

Wilson's brilliant idea (fortunately completed before his untimely death in 2005 at age 60) was to write a play depicting each decade of the 20th century from the African-American perspective. This idea is fittingly captured here in a handsome boxed set, making the full range of plays available at a per-play cost below single- or three-play editions. Beautifully designed and planned with room for easy access as well as sturdy boxed protection, this is a set ideal for gifting--self included.

Attractively bound set. One thing I wish they included was the set design/layout, the list of stage items, the dress of the actors and additional details that are normally found in a playscript. Still, I much enjoy the playbooks.