For decades, British audiences knew Lenny Henry as a sketch comedian, stand-up and the face of Comic Relief. In 2013 he gave the London critics something new to talk about. Henry played Troy Maxson, the proud, bitter former baseball player at the centre of August Wilson’s Fences, in a Theatre Royal Bath production directed by Paulette Randall.
After its run in Bath, the production moved to the Duchess Theatre in the West End and opened on June 26, 2013. Henry led a strong Black British cast that included Tanya Moodie as Troy’s wife, Rose, Colin McFarlane as his friend Bono, Ako Mitchell as his brother Gabriel, Peter Bankolé, Ashley Zhangazha and Crystal Mills.
The reviews were excellent. WhatsOnStage’s round-up found four- and five-star notices from the major papers. Michael Coveney gave five stars and called it the must-see performance in town. In The Guardian, Michael Billington praised Henry’s massive presence and emotional power. The Independent’s Paul Taylor wrote that the role cemented his standing as a serious actor, and The Times and the Telegraph were also full of praise.
It was the result of years of effort. Henry had moved into classical theatre in 2009 with Northern Broadsides’ Othello, which went on to the West End, and Fences made the point to a West End audience: the man behind Theophilus P. Wildebeeste could carry one of the great American dramatic roles.
Our take
Comedians who turn to serious acting are often treated as a novelty. Lenny Henry’s Troy Maxson was praised as a great performance, full stop. The production also gave a West End stage to a group of Black British actors and a Black British director in a major American play. That mattered at least as much as the reviews, and it fed directly into the diversity campaigning Henry became known for in the years that followed.
Sources: WhatsOnStage, BroadwayWorld, Playbill
Leave a Reply