“Jitney” is set in a run-down cab company in the Pittsburgh Hill District in 1977. A ragtag group of unlicensed drivers provide car service to a community ignored by regular taxis. They’re a perfect group of flawed working class stiffs who audiences are likely to recognize in their own circles of family, friends and co-workers.
Lemec Bernard plays Fielding, a man whose addiction to the bottle threatens to scuttle his ability to earn a livelihood. He says the struggles onstage are microcosms of those we encounter in everyday life.
“A lot of what’s going on is just us life-ing together, whether it’s with your girlfriend, your marriage, your children, work life, any addictions you might have, and you have your friends around you, your co-workers, who become your friends and family … trying to help you get through that, but there’s always some conflict,” Bernard said.
“Jitney” goes beyond realistic, multi-dimensional characters. August Wilson has a gift for dialogue. Like his other Century Cycle plays, “Jitney” is language-driven. The dialogue is poetic, even during the play’s most turbulent scenes.
It’s the reason actors like Denzel Washington gravitate toward August Wilson’s anthology. Bernard and his castmates take full advantage of the opportunity to think, feel and speak as their characters, which is why people will want to see this play.
“It’s us and it’s August Wilson,” said Bernard. “Why else would you want to go see anything else? Right? It’s fast-paced. We’re going to have you hooked from the first scene to the last scene – especially the last scene. But you should just come out just so you can enjoy with your family and have perspective of seeing what maybe is going on in your life that’s onstage and maybe come away with some answers and some relief that everything’s going to be OK in your life, just like it is onstage.”
“Jitney” is onstage through February 23 at the Alliance for the Arts.
MORE INFORMATION:
“Jitney” was the first play that August Wilson wrote, but the last to make it to Broadway.
The play delves into themes of family conflict, the impact of war, addiction, and racism, offering a gripping exploration of personal and societal struggles.
“Jitney” marks the eighth play in August Wilson’s Century Cycle and the seventh production at the Alliance for the Arts.
One of the key conflicts in “Jitney” is between a man named Becker and his son, Booster.
“There’s a lot of pain there [because] of expectations from Becker’s end, and from Booster’s end, as well, and just kind of how those things didn’t meet up in the middle as far as how he was supposed to grow up and take on the legacy of what his father was doing when he was a young man,” Bernard noted.
There’s also an ample amount of conflict between the characters of Rena and Youngblood. The couple has a 2-year-old and Youngblood struggles to put food on the table and a roof over their heads. But he has a plan. Unfortunately, an older, busybody co-worker is stirring up trouble that threatens to undermine their relationship.
“I think [audiences] can relate to [this] today,” Bernard said. “They, themselves, might be going through it or they might know somebody who might be going through it. You have a young man who’s trying to make a good decision for his family, but may not be communicating well, and we’re not always taught as young men to communicate as well to their partner.”
There will be a talkback with the actors following the closing 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, February 23.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.