Two River Theater brings explosiveness with August Wilson’s Seven Guitars

If you want to learn about rich history and culture, with an explosive plot on African American life, Seven Guitars is your play.

As the Two River Theater enters its fourth successful season into presenting August Wilson’s plays, it proves introducing Wilson’s stories was one of the best things the theater has done to bring diversity into its lineup.

This year The Two River Theater opened its season with an eye opening and powerful play by August Wilson entitled Seven Guitars.

Not only did it start off the 2015/2016 season, it was also the directorial debut for actor, now director, Brandon J. Dirden.

Dirden is a veteran at Two River having starred in the world premiere of Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s Your Blues Ain’t Sweet Like Mine and in Topdog/Underdog, in which he starred opposite his brother Jason Dirden under the direction of the play’s author, Suzan-Lori Parks.

About Seven Guitars

Seven Guitars is part of Wilson’s 10-part century cycle in Hills District section of Pittsburgh, PA that explores the beauty and the struggles of everyday living for Black Americans.

The play takes place in the 1940s. Just like Wilson’s other plays, Seven Guitars takes the audience on a storytelling journey of the unfortunate realities of racism.

In this play cycle, Seven Guitars is a music story that captures the essence of community that is surrounded around the characters Floyd “Schoolboy” Barton (Kevin Mambo), a Pittsburgh bluesman with one hit record and eager to return to Chicago to make another.

His dilemma is that his drummer Red Carter (Charlie Hudson III) and harmonica player Canewell (Jason Dirden) have little interest in returning to Chicago, and his former lover Vera (Christina Acosta Robinson) is even more opposed to the proposition.

Seven Guitars central theme is about family and community where in most scenes, the characters are sitting around catching up or as some would say “catching the breeze”, so to speak. A conversation of good jokes and laughs but also turns into some fiery intense moments that spark insightful dialogue.

Brandon Dirden’s brother, Jason Dirden, plays Canewell and Brandon’s wife Crystal A. Dickinson plays Louise, which shows it’s a talented family affair.

While our previous reviews gave you an in-depth description of the plot, this time we encourage our readers rather than read about the play, to get the August Wilson experience in person.

If you want to learn about rich history and culture, with an explosive plot on African American life, Seven Guitars is your play.

Performances

Seven Guitars runs until October 4th at the Two River Theater in Red Bank, NJ.

For more information, please visit trtc.org