Jitney: A Play - Broadway Tie-In Edition

By the time that this review appears I will have already reviewed five of the ten plays in August Wilson's Century cycle. On the first five I believe that I ran out of fulsome praise for his work and particularly for his tightly woven story and dialogue. Rather than keep following that path for the next five plays I would prefer to concentrate on some of the dialogue that makes Brother Wilson's work so compelling. For those who want to peek at my general observations you can look at my review of "Gem Of The Ocean" (the first play chronologically in the cycle). In all previously reviewed plays I noticed some piece of dialogue that seemed to me to sum up the essence of the play. Sometimes that is done by the lead character as was the case with Troy Maxton in "Fences" when he (correctly) stated that there should been "no too early" in regard to the possibilities of black achievement and prospects in America. Other times it is by a secondary character in the form of some handed down black folk wisdom as means to survive in racially-hardened America. In "Jitney" this task falls to Doub in Act Two when he cuts through all of the rhetoric and accusations a that some blacks were (and still are) making about white abandonment of the struggle for racial equality in America. His retort: ain't no whites give a damn about you, you don't exist for them. These lines are doubly poignant in play where the central occupation is that of "homegrown" private cab drivers that sprang up in the black ghettoes because the licensed cabbies wouldn't go into black neighborhoods. Powerful stuff. As I have noted previously that says more in a couple of sentences about a central aspect of black experience in America at the end of the 20th century than many manifestos, treatises or sociological/psychological studies. That Wilson can weave that hard understanding into a play of less than one hundred pages and drive the plot line of a story that deals with the contradiction between black aspirations and the reality of the hard fact that many blacks were left behind heading into in the Reaganite 1980's when all the "boats were to be lifted to by the rising tide" is compelling. Given the hard fate for most blacks in housing, education and jobs today Brother Wilson is on to something. As I have also noted previously- that, my friends, is still something to consider in the "post-racial" Obamiad. We shall see.

It's clear to say, that one outstanding act in this play may be one of August Wilson's most powerful and emotional. It is a scene where a proud father who refused his son for twenty years now encounters him when he is released from prison for murder. In the series of plays that chronicle the black experience, Jitney is set in the early 70s and is about jitney (car service) drivers who provide low fares to the black community in Pittsburgh. The setting is in a dilapidated section of town that is experiencing the city boarding up buildings, a practice that characteristically doesn't result in improvements. The building that houses the car service with that of several men's livelihood is considered for boarding up. The characters are young and old, a busybody, an alcoholic, a young father, a Korean war vets, etc. These characters have minor stories, but nothing as profound as the main character, 60ish Becker, who manages the jitney car service. It is his son Booster who was spared the death penalty and is released from prison. At that time of the murder, many young blacks did not take well the treatment from whites that their parents were subjected too. These younger blacks grew up with an attitude and were shamed that their parents didn't stand up to white folks. The younger generation resorts to violence. Consequently, Becker's son Booster kills a white girl for lying that she was raped by him. Becker, a man of honor, is humiliated by the actions of his son. Becker also confirms that Booster's mother died very soon after sentencing. She could not bear to hear from the judge ...."that the life she brought in the world was unfit to live." This lengthy exchange of dialogue between Beck and his son is profound and with Act 1 Scene 3 and 4 makes up the entire worth of the play.....Rizz

Becker and Booster, estranged father and son have a scene, which shoots out into hearty emotional territory from the get, that is the heart of this play. A destinctly male play, featuring some standard types, the core being: young & ambitious Youngblood, pesky instrusive Turnbo, older drunken Fielding, settled/sedate veteran Doub, father/manager/coach-like Becker, and Booster-who is actually a mix of youthful intentions and elder understanding. I read this and cared for Becker and Booster. I was hopeful for Youngblood, and was held in suspense about what would happen between Turnbo and Youngblood. Jitney is a positive play, with a surely hopeful attitude and a redemptive feel. Wilson deals sparingly with outside circumstances: impending eviction/unknown future, alcoholism/senseless violence, black & white relations, lies that can be tolerated and truths that can't, community/family outside of blood, etc. I did think it ended too easily, but maintained a sense of hopefulness and redemption, that I imagined satisfied the on-going life of the characters.

I am so happy Wilson revived this script from the trashcan of the his past. It is the clearest and most engaging story he's written since Jor Turner's.

August Wilson's Jitney opened off-broadway in New York in the Spring of 2001. I saw the play 3 times within 3 weeks, and I took my father the last. It isn't about seeing a play. It's about experiencing and sharing hope.Set in Pittsburgh, PA of the 1970's, the play centers around jitney/car service drivers as they try to let go of the past, and embrace future changes in themselves and their environment. They're decent, hard working middle-aged black men who are questioning their lives, wondering if they accomplished enough, made mistakes, or have been lead astray and are desparately trying to find a way to rectify themselves, even warn the angry young not to make the same mistakes.The main story is about Becker, the owner of the Jitney and his relationship with his son Booster, who was recently released from a 20 year prison sentence for killing a rich white society girl after she falsely testified he was rapist. Becker has always been a pillar to his community, and he has never forgiven or understood his son's act. Booster, who could have been another Albert Einstein, was barely twenty when killed the girl. Because of changing times and laws, he was spared the death penalty, but not until after his mother dies of a broken heart, which is something Becker holds Booster responsible for. Will Becker forgive Booster? Is Booster sorry? What will become of Booster, a once promising scholar, who, it seems, has thrown the important years of his life away. Will Becker hold onto the Jitney or will it be demolished to make way for a mall or something similar. Will the young Vietnam Vet be able to close on the house that will make life better for his young family?What I particularly liked about this play is that, right or wrong, the characters believably argue their convictions. It's as if the audience is deciding who's right. Events are never slanted. While there are a number of powerful scenes, the one that stands out for me is the reunion between Becker and Booster as Booster tries to justify why he killed the girl. The play is never preachy or slanted.The play kept me and a packed audience on the edge of our seats, literally, up until and including the last word. Each time I went, the play was met with automatic standing ovation.Whether you're an actor looking for something to sink your teeth in or a person that appreciates a skillfully action and character driven play, Jitney is worth reading. I went 3 times for the language and skillfully developed scenes.