By Ashley Hassebroek
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Published Saturday
June 5, 2004
The rules at the Jitney Station in August Wilson's play "Jitney" are pretty simple: no overcharging, keep the car clean, no drinking and be courteous.
Sounds fair, easy to follow. But these rules, despite their importance to the cab station's owner, are merely peripheral to the station's activities.
More significant to these drivers are rules they learn on their own when they're at the station. Rules only life can teach them - rules about the human spirit.
A compelling new production at the John Beasley Theater brings to life a brutally realistic tale.
An all-star cast, including John Beasley, Anthony Chisholm of HBO's "Oz" and longtime Omaha broadcaster Ben Gray, ignites Wilson's script, giving the production convincing honesty and power.
Directed by Claude Purdy, the action takes place at the station, a dusty old room where the wallpaper peels off the walls, paint cans collect under desks and the phone rings incessantly with requests for cheap cab rides. Hard times are familiar to these drivers, and the hand they have been dealt affects their attitudes toward different situations.
The story line focuses on what will happen if the station is demolished for urban renewal.
Many of the life lessons are learned through a series of conflicts between the cab drivers and their loved ones. Youngblood (Michael Beasley) has disagreements with his girlfriend Rena (Iris Perez and TammyRa on alternating nights) over money. Turnbo (John Beasley) quarrels with Youngblood, even to gunpoint, about his "disrespect" for everyone around him. Becker (Gray) confronts his ex-con son Booster (Tyrone Beasley) about wasting his life and making bad decisions in one of the most breathtaking scenes of the play.
What gives this 2 1/2-hour production its greatest impact, however, is its dynamite cast. John Beasley is phenomenal as the judgmental, strong-minded Turnbo; Chisholm is strikingly believable as the aloof alcoholic Fielding; and Gray makes a stellar acting debut as the hardhearted, levelheaded station owner Becker. Michael Beasley (Youngblood), Vincent Lee Alston (Doub), Tyrone Beasley (Booster), Willis Burks III (Shealy) and Perez (Rena) also bring rich and calculated dimension to their characters. Essentially, a weak link doesn't exist in this well-chosen ensemble.
The script also includes laugh-out-loud comic scenes, derived from ironic situations and life stories, that give these excellent actors chances to draw even more depth from their characters. However, the core of this play comes from dealing with dramatic issues and learning important new rules for life.
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