Only one of the plays in two-time Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson's masterful The American Century Cycle has never been seen on Broadway- until now. Set in the early 1970s, this richly textured piece follows a group of men trying to eke out a living by driving unlicensed cabs, or jitneys. When the city threatens to board up the business and the boss' son returns from prison, tempers flare, potent secrets are revealed and the fragile threads binding these people together may come undone at last.
MTC has a long history of co-producing works by this legendary playwright: King Hedley II, Seven Guitars and The Piano Lesson, and is proud to produce this Broadway debut. Directing is Ruben Santiago-Hudson, one of Wilson's finest interpreters.
By great good fortune it is also possible to see the same thing happen right now in Denzel Washington's filmed version of 'Fences,' a play that is part of the same cycle. Neither should be missed. In both, fathers and sons wrestle with ruthlessness and rebellion; in both, the outside world has left its scars, but decisions by individuals determine their fates.
Finally, August Wilson's 'Jitney' makes it to Broadway in a powerful, if uneven, new staging at MTC's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, where it opened Thursday. Until now, 'Jitney' had been the only one of Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle plays not to have appeared on Broadway, even though it was the first he wrote, in 1979. Has any great writer delivered a more accomplished first play?
2000 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
2000 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
2017 | Broadway |
Manhattan Theatre Club Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2019 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Play | John Douglas Thompson |
2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Costume Design for a Play | Toni-Leslie James |
2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Director of a Play | Ruben Santiago-Hudson |
2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music in a Play | Bill Sims Jr. |
2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Jitney |
2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Set Design for a Play | David Gallo |
2017 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | John Douglas Thompson |
2017 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | Jitney |
2017 | New York Drama Critics Circle Awards | Special Citation | Ruben Santiago-Hudson |
2017 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Jitney |
2017 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Play | Toni-Leslie James |
2017 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Ruben Santiago-Hudson |
2017 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Jane Cox |
2017 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | John Douglas Thompson |
2017 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | August Wilson's Jitney |
2017 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Play | David Gallo |
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