Fences(2016) Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jovan Adepo, & August Wilson

Book Vs. Movie: Fences
The 1987 play Vs. the 2016 movie

For Black History Month, the Margos revisit playwright August Wilson (we covered Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom last year.) Fences premiered on Broadway in 1987 and is a part of Wilson's acclaimed Pittsburgh Cycle, also known as the Century Cycle, a series of ten plays that chronicle the African American experience in the United States throughout each decade of the 20th century.

This is a play about Troy Maxson, a former Negro League baseball player who now works as a garbage collector. Set in 1950s Pittsburgh, the story explores themes of race, family, generational trauma, and unfulfilled dreams. Troy's desire to build a fence around his yard symbolizes his need to protect his family and his sense of confinement.


In this ep, the Margos discuss:

• The work of August Wilson.
• The plot of the story
• The differences between the play and the adaptation.
• The cast of the 2016 film: Denzel Washington ((Troy Maxson,) Viola Davis (Rose Lee Maxson,) Stephen McKinley Henderson (Jim Bono,) Russell Hornsby (Lyons Maxson,) Mykelti Williamson (Gabriel Maxson,) and Saniyya Sidney as Raynel Maxson.

Clips used:

• Fences 2016 trailer
• “Why don’t you like me?” (1987 James Earl Jones & Courtney Vance TONY Awards)
• “The same spot as you.”
• “I’m not going to Tray Maxson’s funeral.”
• Music by Marcelo Zarvos.

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