King Hedley II
Opening Night: April 29, 2001
Closing: July 1, 2001
Theater: August Wilson Theatre
Chasing dreams and nightmares, the characters in King Hedley II inhabit a world filled with deadly family squabbles, messianic prophecies, and dark humor. Still, they remain pointed toward the future, their pockets lined with fresh hope and an abiding faith in their own abilities and heroics. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson’s latest play is directed by Marion McClinton. This new drama extends Wilson’s extraordinary cycle of plays that chronicle the African-American experience through each decade of the 20th century. The drama features Brian Stokes Mitchell, Charles Brown, Viola Davis, Lou Myers, Monté Russell, and Leslie Uggams.
READ THE REVIEWS:
May 2, 2001
Voices go hurtling to heaven in August Wilson’s ”King Hedley II,” gut-deep cries of confusion that keep pushing toward some elusive ecstasy of understanding.
A 35-year-old grandmother angrily imagines the impact of the random killing of a child on its mother. Two men of different generations slowly summon the heat that drove each to commit murder. A former nightclub singer speaks of the day she realized her hair had turned gray and of the sexual healing she sought in response.
Please note: To view this review you may need to log in to a free New York Times account.