Review: FENCES at The Alley Theatre

This legendary, Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning drama by August Wilson centers on Troy Maxson, a former baseball player now working as a garbage collector in 1950s Pittsburgh. Set almost entirely in the backyard of the Maxson home, Fences explores the weight of racial discrimination, the cost of unrealized dreams, and the complicated bonds of family, particularly between fathers and sons. Ensemble Theatre Artistic Director Eileen J. Morris helms this production at the Alley.

From the moment you enter the Hubbard Theatre, you are transported. It is Pittsburgh, 1957, and we are staring into the backyard of a modest home, wedged between others just like it along a narrow alleyway, the same intimate setting that grounds the entire play. Scenic Designer Scott Bradley has outdone himself. Through a back-porch window, the kitchen hums with life, and when the play’s namesake is finally revealed in Act II, it earns a genuine, delighted gasp. While the environment reflects a working-class reality, it is no less detailed or immersive. Lighting (Alan C. Edwards) and sound and music (Kathy Ruvuna) are seamlessly woven in, pulling us fully into the world of the Maxson family.

David Rainey (in his 25th season as a Resident Company Member) takes on the formidable role of Troy Maxson, no easy feat. Troy is a deeply complicated man: proud, bitter, and shaped by a lifetime of systemic barriers that denied him opportunity. It would be easy to play him as a one-note tyrant, but Rainey finds the layers. Beneath the bluster is frustration, exhaustion, and, at times, even a flicker of joy, making his eventual unraveling all the more inevitable and tragic.

As Rose, Michelle Elaine (the newest of the Alley’s Residents) delivers a masterclass in restraint. She simmers quietly beneath Troy’s dominating presence, holding the family together with strength and grace. Her arc builds with precision, culminating in a devastating release of controlled fury that lands with real force. It’s a moment that lingers.

Aramie Payton’s Cory charts one of the play’s most compelling journeys. In limited stage time, he transforms from an optimistic, energetic teenager into a young man hardened by disappointment. His longing for his father’s approval is palpable, and when he finally stands his ground, the emotional payoff is earned. His softer moments, particularly with his sister Raynell (played here with crowd-pleasing charm by Mila Glenn), add welcome dimension to a true and believable performance.

Kendrick “KayB” Brown brings an easy fluidity to Lyons, Troy’s older son from his first marriage, whose artistic ambitions put him at odds with his father’s rigid worldview. Timothy Eric’s Gabriel, Troy’s brother, is handled with care and nuance, boisterous and unpredictable, yet grounded in an undeniable purity of heart. His final moments provide one of the play’s most haunting and emotional images.

Alex Morris nearly steals the show early on as Jim Bono, Troy’s loyal friend and moral compass. What begins as comic relief deepens into something richer, offering insight into Troy’s character while ultimately holding him accountable. Morris threads that needle beautifully.

Director Eileen J. Morris demonstrates a clear command of both the world of the play and its emotional rhythms. Fences lives and dies on its performances and its language, and here, she trusts her cast to do the heavy lifting. The result is a production that honors Wilson’s richly layered text that examines generational trauma, responsibility, and the invisible fences we build around ourselves and those we love.

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