Ashland Theater Review: “How I Learned What I Learned”

How I Realized what I Realized, August Wilson’s one-man present about his life and work, is now enjoying on the Oregon Shakespeare Pageant. Wilson, who died in 2005, was considered one of America’s best playwrights. Writer of Fences, Ma Rainey’s Black Backside, The Piano Lesson and plenty of others, Wilson traced a historical past of Blacks in Pittsburg with ten performs set in ten completely different a long time.

Wilson co-conceived his one-man present with Todd Kriedler, and he carried out it so long as he may. A number of different actors took it over after his demise, however I doubt that any of them may surpass Steven Anthony Jones, who brings Wilson to vivid life within the Bowmer Theatre.

Along with his versatile voice, crafty strikes and depraved humor, Jones conjures up a barrel filled with eccentric characters from Wilson’s life, or maybe his creativeness. As Wilson tells it, he led a tough and tumble, picaresque existence in Pittsburg’s Hill District, together with Blacks from all walks of life.

His storytelling encompasses his dropping out of college in tenth grade, his first bawdy adventures, his need to write down, and a seemingly limitless provide of hilarious tales. Underlying all of his tales is a robust sense of what it means to be Black in America.

This play ran two hours with out intermission on opening night time, in all probability as a result of there was a lot laughter. Ninety minutes would have been satisfying. Two hours is pulverizing. However, I’m glad I noticed it. One endearing factor we be taught from the sensible Wilson is that he was his mom’s youngster. Like her, he was unbendingly sure that he deserved, from everybody, R E S P E C T.