The play is a perfect blend of thrill, humor, and action interwoven in a wonderful story. It is written by August Wilson, the winner of Pulitzer Prize. It is his latest and final work among his 10-play cycle depicting African-American culture of the 20th century.
The sets have been designed by David Gallo, the costumes are designed by Susan Hilferty, the lights and sounds are given by Donald Holder and Dan Moses Schreier. The amazing thing is that all these creative artists are winners of Tony Awards.
The set portrays a neat office set up in a part of a building that’s on the verge of collapse in African American Hill District of Pittsburgh. The surrounding consists of eerie remains of an eatery and a barber shop that were once a social hub. However, as this neighborhood is under the redevelopment company, the entire area has a spooky silence.
Harmond Wilks is the lead character of this show. He is a competent lawyer from Ivy League. He has a well-qualified and ambitious wife. Harmond is the person who wants to redevelop the ghostly surrounding. He, along with his newly-appointed Mellon Bank vice-president friend Roosevelt Hicks, come up with a development deal to demolish the old buildings and construct a high rise apartment with its ground floor dedicated to chain stores such as Whole Foods, Starbucks, and Barnes & Noble.
At the same time, Harmond announces his candidacy for the mayor of Pittsburgh. He is the first black to do so.
Everything goes well until a crumbling mansion at 1839 Wylie, which they have included for demolition, reveals an important part of history. The mansion turns out to be the home of Aunt Ester. She was the hereditary folk priestess with a past dating back to 1619. This was the time when African slaves were first transported to Virginia.
“Radio Golf" is a gripping show of a black man and how his black past becomes an obstacle in earning white money. The premiere of the show was held in 2005 at Yale Repertory Theater. It opened on Broadway on May 8, 2007 in New York at the Cort Theater. This is the same theater where Wilson’s first Broadway show was opened in 1984. The show was “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom".
“Radio Golf" sends a message to the audience that everything’s not over yet. There’s still time for us to give a thought for our community and do something about it.
You can book tickets for “Radio Golf" online. There are tickets providing services that will arrange for front row seats too. You can even order your tickets on phone. So, forget about waiting in the line at the box office. Now you can get your tickets delivered at home itself.
