Black Rep’s Superlative ‘Radio Golf’ Examines Progress vs. Legacy

Black Rep’s Superlative ‘Radio Golf’ Examines Progress vs. Legacy

By Lynn Venhaus

With its superlative cast, August Wilson’s powerful storytelling, and impressive milestones, “Radio Golf” is a triumph in all aspects.

Thoughtfully presented by the Black Repertory Theatre of St. Louis through June 8 in the Edison Theatre, this shrewdly observant play says so much about at what cost is doing the right thing vs. getting ahead. While it is set 1997, it speaks to issues for the ages.

The premise of Wilson’s 10th and final play is about a real estate entrepreneur who is determined to become Pittsburgh’s first black mayor. Set in the Hill District, Harmond Wilks and his business partner Roosevelt Hicks are golf enthusiasts with big plans for the neighborhood, and their future. But at what risk?

Their office, Bedford Hills Redevelopment Inc., is a storefront on Centre Avenue. The two partners talk of their hopes and dreams as they work on a modern housing and shopping development that will include Whole Foods and Starbucks.

Ronald L. Conner, a St. Louis native now living in Chicago, is a fiery, slick, upwardly mobile Roosevelt who is a bank vice-president and plays golf games to get ahead. Being accepted by the Country Club movers-and-shakers is a goal that he feels is within reach.

Ronald L. Conner and Reginald L. Wilson as business partners Roosevelt and Harmond. Photo by Keshon Campbell

Reginald L. Wilson, in a slow-burn riveting performance, views the development as a way to lift people up. But a block of the Hill District must be torn down. It’s his Black Rep debut but he has immersed himself in Wilson’s works, and previously starred in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Fences.”

Where Harmond and Roosevelt see blight, others see the heritage that marks the tight-knit families who grew up there. He isn’t looking at the other side – and both a cranky yet wise Old Joe Barlow and no-nonsense handyman-contractor Sterling Johnson remind him of people’s worth, no matter their economic means or position.

Himes is unabashedly brilliant and the audience’s favorite character as Joe, a neighborhood elder who knows its history. He also remembers Harmond’s father who was in the real estate business. Blunt and smart like a fox, Joe tells it like it is.

As street-smart Sterling, Kelvin Roston Jr. is the play’s conscience. A good judge of people and their motives, he warns Harmond about neglecting the reasons why people value their history and turning his back on his neighbors. An ex-con who has lived a colorful life, and his dialogue just sings with authenticity, thanks to Roston.

Savvy Velma Austin is the lone female in the cast, portraying Mame, Harmond’s ambitious wife and public relations professional. She is looking ahead and extremely conscious of image. She doesn’t want him to jeopardize the path they envision for their future.

The conflicts occur organically because the ensemble is skilled in delivering Wilson’s rhythmic prose, making their characters’ struggles well-grounded.

Ron Himes as Old Joe Barlow. Photo by Keshon Campbell.

Director Jon Royal’s layered approach allows Wilson’s realistic dialogue to breathe and to build with tense clashes.

Jim Burwinkel’s scenic design aptly encapsulates Wilks’ needs and his hopes – an MLK poster is near his desk and a Tiger Woods poster is near Roosevelt’s. Lighting designer Jayson Lawshee captures times of day through the windows and Justin Schmitz’ astute sound design includes a terrific soundtrack.

Also setting the moods were costume designer Shevare Perry, who fits the period well, and Mikhail Lynn, who nailed the props, such as stolen golf clubs.

In “Radio Golf,” like he has touched on so eloquently before, Wilson examines the lifelong practices of white-run institutions, and whether minorities getting a place at the table was lip service, or another way for control, or an opportunity. And what would you do to ensure that opportunity?

All good, thoughtful points. As Martin Luther King once said, “The time is always right to do the right thing.”

Wilson published the play before his death in 2005, long before social media could have exploited the efforts of people involved to do the right thing vs. the corporate and political spins of the day. However, at that time, the outrage that is the norm when righteous dudes stand up for rights and beliefs now is sadly absent.

Reginald L Wilson and Velma Austin as Harmond and Mame. Photo by Keshon Campbell.

Wilson’s monumental American Century Cycle covers 100 years of the Black experience in America, chronicling social and historical changes in his remarkable style. He won Pulitzer Prizes for two of the plays – “Fences” and “The Piano Lesson.”

“Radio Golf” is the Black Rep’s second completion of the cycle, which took them 18 years to achieve. The Black Rep first completed it – only the third company in the U.S. to do so – from 1988 to 2003.

Starting in 2007, they have presented Wilson’s collection in chronological order. Thanks to the Black Rep, since 2012, I have seen seven of Wilson’s works, and each one has been a gem to treasure.

“Radio Golf” is also a record for actors Himes, founder and producing artistic director of the Black Rep, and Conner, who complete their own personal cycle this go-round.

They have earned St. Louis Theater Circle awards for outstanding production of a drama with Wilson’s “Two Trains Running” in 2022 and “Jitney” in 2023, and Ron Himes won best actor for “Fences.”

All 10 powerful in their own ways, these finely acted and impeccably produced shows illuminate black heritage and specific challenges as only Wilson can, and it’s always the right time to be reminded of his humanity.

With vibrant performances, The Black Rep’s “Radio Golf” is a masterful production that elevates its timeless message for today.

Kelvin Roston Jr as Sterling talks to Harmond.

The St. Louis Black Repertory Company presents “Radio Golf” through June 8. The opening weekend of May 16 – 18 was cancelled because of tornado damage, and performances have been added from Thursday, June 5 to Sunday, June 8. A portion of those ticket sales will support tornado relief. Performances take place in the Edison Theatre on the campus of Washington University with support from The Whitaker Foundation. For more information: www.theblackrep.org Box Office at 314-534-3807. Reduced pricing is available for seniors, educators, museum staff, students, and groups of 12 or more.

Feast on Gritty ‘Clyde’s’ Succulent Recipe for Success at The Rep

Feast on Gritty ‘Clyde’s’ Succulent Recipe for Success at The Rep

By Lynn Venhaus

When is a sandwich not just our daily bread, but a symbol of an American Dream and the sustenance we need for nourishment? When it’s the specialty of the house at “Clyde’s.”

Lynn Nottage’s pungent work thrives as food for the soul – as in redemption, second chances and the power of food as community. It is surprising in its depth of flavors and the power in its connection.

Starting out as gray and bleak as the winter weather, “Clyde’s” combines zesty, peppery comedy and tough-as-nails drama led by an exceptionally sinewy, robust ensemble.

As they convincingly weave tales of dashed dreams and delayed hope, many layers reveal themselves slowly once we embrace this hub — a grungy truck stop diner in the struggling Rust Belt city of Reading, Penn.

The gritty location is important, because it ties into Nottage’s Pulitzer-Prize winning 2015 play “Sweat,” about what happens when the town’s economic center, Olstead’s Steel Tubing plant, goes on strike. Most of that play’s main characters work there, as have their families, for generations.

Ron Himes as Montrellous. Photo by Jon Gitchoff.

The town’s manufacturing industry decline, resulting in high unemployment and abandoned factories, is represented by the withdrawn character Jason, who is a part of both scenarios. In “Sweat,” he goes to prison for badly beating a Columbian busboy.  In “Clyde’s,” he is on parole and desperate to outrun his past. You feel Brendan D. Hickey’s anguish.

Clyde hires ex-cons, as she is one herself. But in her cruel tirades and harassment, she reminds them that she gave them a second chance when no one else would. As played by Phyllis Yvonne Stickney, Clyde is as fiery as her red-haired wig and mean in a nasty irredeemable way.

Despair is heavy in the air, for the ragtag staff seeking a glimmer of hope and a brighter day. They are between a rock and a hard place, trying to earn a living as they keep paying their debt to society. The stakes are high for them not to mess up again and return to prison.

They eventually become each other’s lifelines.

Rafael (Alfredo Antillion) wears his heart on his sleeve. The master of the grill and the fryer, he tries to be a cheery coworker. Now clean and sober, he served time for robbing a bank with a BB gun when he was high, to buy his girlfriend a pedigree dog.

Phyllis Yvonne Stickney as Clyde. Photo by Jon Gitchoff.

He is sweet on his co-worker, Letitia (Essence Anisa Tyler), known as “Tish,” who has a disabled daughter and a worthless baby daddy.  She served time for stealing prescription drugs from a local pharmacy. She knows her options are limited. She likes to project a tough exterior, but she is not hardened – yet.

As Montrellous, Ron Himes is the heart and soul of this operation. As Rafael says “He’s like Buddha, if he grew up in the hood.” It’s a sturdy, grounding performance to marvel at, makes you believe in the goodness of people.

A wise sage whose selflessness is remarkable, Montrellous believes in the power we have in ourselves to create opportunities. He is an artist in the kitchen too, crafting delicious blends of bread, meats, cheeses, condiments and garnishes. He calls his creations “sublime,” and his belief wins the staff over.

They soon collaborate by describing various flavor combinations. If your mouth doesn’t water as they imagine appetizing versions, then you may have no taste buds.

His zeal is contagious, and soon his co-workers’ creativity is in overdrive. Their efforts get noticed by a local food writer, but Clyde doesn’t care. Through this invigorating endeavor, the staff feel worthy, and they display a renewed sense of purpose. They work together as a team, and in the motivational word of Ted Lasso: “Believe” – especially when their boss wants to beat them down.

Alfredo Antillion as Rafael and Brendan D. Hickey as Jason. Photo by Jon Gitchoff.

Even though Nottage wrote “Clyde’s” in 2021, before “The Bear” premiered as a television series, it shares that unmistakable sense of time and place, of found families, and what “family dinner” means — that food is love, food is community.

“Clyde’s” kitchen characters renew a faith in their contributions, that they could do something worthwhile. For people trying to make a fresh start, someone’s belief in them could be a catalyst, could make that difference.

With the guidance of Prison Performing Arts organization’s staff, they have brought insight and meaning to the difficulties of the former incarcerated trying to navigate re-entry with roadblocks in their way.

Josiah Davis directs with a full heart and a sharp eye for human comedy, and this vibrant cast comes together through rocky journeys and believable transformations. With Davis’ empathy and grace, they don’t make a false step.

The technical aspects are also first-rate, with a realistic restaurant kitchen by set designer Jean Kim, and working/casual attire that suits the characters’ personalities, designed by costumer Haydee Zelideth and wig designer Shevare Perry. Lighting designer Christina Watanabe uses a mystical approach and works in sync with sound designer Michael Costagliola.

At times, Nottage’s plot is shaggy, but the ensemble’s authenticity – in both the bitter and the sweet – pierces our hearts for an indelible impression.

Hickey, Essence Anisa Tyler, Antillion and Himes. Photo by Jon Gitchoff.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents “Clyde’s” Feb. 5 – March 2 at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the campus of Webster University. The runtime is 105 minutes without intermission. Tickets can be purchased online at www.repstl.org or by phone at 314-968-4925. The box office is also open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and two hours before the curtain.

Rush Tickets: Available for students, seniors, educators, and theatre professionals by calling the Box Office at 314-968-4925, 1 – 2 hours prior to curtain time.

Student Tickets: Students can purchase $20 tickets available by calling the Box Office at 314-986-4925

A RepresentSTL talkback following the performance on Feb.15 will further engage audiences in meaningful dialogue.

The Rep has also partnered with Laughing Bear Bakery, which supports re-entry opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals, and will have their goods available at concessions during the run of the show.

Clyde’s. Photo by Jon Gitchoff.