Two plays give unique look at black theater

Days after Congo Square Theatre's Midwest premiere of Afro-British playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah's "Elmina's Kitchen," Pegasus Players opened its revival of August Wilson's "Jitney." Both examine conflicts between fathers and sons against the backdrop of a changing community.

In the masterful Wilson, this fortuitous programming offers a glimpse of black theater's past. In Kwei-Armah, who proves himself a worthy successor, it reflects the present and future.

Together, they work in tandem. And with only five miles separating the theaters, it's a pairing to good to pass up.

'Jitney'

The first play Wilson wrote for his 10-play series examining the black experience in 20th century America, "Jitney" (the eighth play chronologically) unfolds in a rundown Pittsburgh storefront in 1977. It centers around gypsy cab drivers working for Becker (Alfred H. Wilson, in fine form), a sort of father figure to the veterans, alcoholic and instigators. They are all wounded men, vividly imagined by Wilson and fluently expressed by Pegasus' first-rate cast under Jonathan Wilson's sure-handed direction.There's hotheaded Youngblood (Taj McCord), a Vietnam vet struggling to make a better life for his girlfriend Rena (Heather Ireland) and their young son; gossip-loving Turnbo (Ray Baker); Doub (J.J. McCormick), the voice of reason and restraint; Fielding (Foster Williams Jr.), an alcoholic more perceptive than he seems; Shealy (Sean Nix), the neighborhood numbers runner, and hotel doorman and sometime customer Philmore (Randolph Johnson).Faced with foreclosure that threatens their livelihoods, the men spend their time bantering, indulging and needling each other. It all makes for an insightful, entertaining snapshot made credible by the easy camaraderie established by Jonathan Wilson's well-cast ensemble.But the real drama centers on the return of Booster (a powerfully self-contained M.K. Quaintance), Becker's estranged son, released from prison after serving 20 years for murdering his white girlfriend whose arrival sparks a long-delayed confrontation between a father and son. "Jitney" -- Three stars out of four, running through Oct. 28 at the O'Rourke Center at Truman College, 1145W.Wilson Ave., Chicago. $17, $25. (773) 878-9761 orwww.pegasusplayers.org.'Elmina's Kitchen'At a talkback following Congo Square's production of "Elmina's Kitchen," Kwei-Armah spoke reverently of August Wilson. His admiration came as no surprise. Wilson's "Jitney," "Fences" and "King Hedley II" echo throughout the play, which Kwei-Armah wrote in response to London's increasing black-on-black violence.The play -- which opened at London's prestigious National Theatre in 2003 and later transferred to the West End -- centers on Caribbean-born Deli (a tightly wound, guarded Anthony Irons). The hard-working owner of a besieged West Indian restaurant located in a crime-ridden London neighborhood, Deli struggles to keep his disaffected son Ashley, (Phillip James Brannon, reflecting na#239;ve bravado) from the clutches of thugs like Digger (a predatory Morocco Omari, who energizes every scene he's in), the local enforcer with whom Deli has an uneasy friendship. Into this war zone comes feisty Anastasia (Ann Joseph), a wounded woman attracted to the equally damaged Deli; the good-natured peddler Baygee (Willie B. Goodson) and Deli's estranged, ailing father (Cedric Young), a charmer with an agenda. Congo Square's production, while solidly directed by Derrick Sanders, takes a while to warm up and unfamiliar accents and British slang take some getting accustomed to. But the issues Kwei-Armah addresses -- father-son conflicts; the clash of values; urban violence and personal responsibility -- resonate as profoundly on this side of the pond as they do on the other. From the sad, familiar story of young black men destined to become statistics, Kwei-Armah has crafted a provocative cautionary tale."Elmina's Kitchen" -- Three stars out of four, through Oct.14 at the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, 777N.Green St.,Chicago. $27.50,$32.50.(312) 733-6000 orwww.congosquaretheatre.org.