Barton’sBlues
August Wilson’s play, ‘Seven Guitars,’ passionately follows the
life of singer Floyd Barton on his tragic and inspiring attempt to
fulfill a lifelong dream.
By Jennifer Richmond
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
loyd Barton has a dream.
He wants to be a famous blues singer and he even has a hit
single to start off. But something happens along the way and Floyd
never reaches his goal.
August Wilson’s "Seven Guitars" is the fascinating story of
Floyd’s long-time dream and the intriguing path he follows, trying
to reach an unreachable star. Floyd, along with his six friends,
make Wilson’s drama into a living entity that feels all the desire
and passion of an unfulfilled love affair.
Back from 90 days in a work camp, Floyd has gotten a letter from
Savoy Records requesting that he return to Chicago to record a
record. He makes plans with his band and tries to get Vera to go
with him. The one thing he needs to get back into music is his
electric guitar, which he pawned before he went off to the work
camp. Unfortunately, Floyd doesn’t have enough money to buy it
back. So, he joins up with a friend and commits a robbery. This
robbery is his downfall. While he gets away, his safety is
short-lived and prevents him from realizing his dream.
Without a doubt Wilson is the type of playwright you need to see
on stage to get the full effect of his vision. Without actors to
breathe some life into his characters, Wilson’s words simply form a
story on a page.
His plays, when read, are character-driven. So it’s natural that
a performance would turn it into a great drama that grabs you and
keeps you on the edge of your seat from the curtain’s rise until
its fall three-and-a- half hours later.
The show doesn’t feel that long, though. The actors can be
blamed for that. Floyd (Keith David), Vera (Viola Davis) and Louise
(Michele Shay) travel such different paths and are so involved in
their own ambitions that the audience begins to feel like they’ve
known the three for years.
Watching Vera go from being skeptical about Floyd’s devotion to
being utterly sure of his love, with Floyd’s own self-assurance
that he’ll make it big, is truly uplifting.
These two characters fuel the production. Their relationship
always travels rough terrain and rarely ever finds a calm. Whenever
he’s ready to commit, she’s there to remind him of how unsuccessful
his last commitment was. And whenever she’s ready to jump in with
both feet, he can’t be found or is in trouble.
It may sound like a typical set of star-crossed lovers, but
David and Davis, with the help of Wilson’s words, never let their
relationship reach that cliche.
Floyd may be dapperly dressed with a shine on his shoes and a
gleam in his eye, but there are a few moments when that facade
fades to reveal a man with some deep-seated regrets.
David never makes these moments sappy. His speech is controlled
and hushed, almost as if he’s caught in a dream, trying to make
sense of this moment of introspection. Moments like these are few,
but their occurrence gives Floyd depth and dimension, making him
into a living person rather than a flat character on a page.
Davis’ Vera provides no less of a performance. Always keeping
her delight at Floyd’s presence hidden, she also knows when to
reveal her true feelings and when to hold them in. Like David,
Davis has her own bright moment in this tragedy.
When Floyd asks Vera to trust him again with her love, she
reveals the deep-seated despair and hurt she felt when he left her
the last time. As she recalls his every touch, her reverie quickly
turns into a tear-filled despair. Davis proves that Vera’s a real
person with real feelings who gets upset when ignored. This scene
gives Vera the same depth that Floyd has during his more meaningful
monologues.
But these two serious characters don’t make the show into a
depressing tragedy. Louise, a close friend of Vera’s, acts as the
comic relief, there to lighten things up with her constant
joking.
Shay is the perfect person for this role because of her precise
comic timing. She knows when to accent the final word of her
comment, or just how to slip the sarcastic tone into her speech, or
how to give a look that says it all without saying anything. She
gives a rich portrayal of a woman who tries to make light of every
situation, but has some of her own secrets also.
The one unfortunate aspect to Shay’s performance is her
inability to ride the audience’s laughter. Because she continues
talking over the audience, we lose a quarter of what’s said and
miss important information.
But this is one small gripe in a long list of strengths.
It’s simple. Wilson has written a masterpiece and has masters
performing it.
STAGE: "Seven Guitars." Written by August Wilson. Running
through March 10 at the Ahmanson Theatre. Performs Tuesday-Saturday
at 8 p.m. with matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. TIX:
$15-50. For more info call (213) 365-3500.
Viola Davis and Keith David portray star-crossed lovers.