Gem of the Ocean
Encyclopedia
Gem of the Ocean is a play by American playwright August Wilson
. It is the first installment of his decade-by-decade, ten-play chronicle, The Pittsburgh Cycle, dramatizing the African-American experience in the twentieth century.
, and Citizen Barlow, a young man from Alabama
searching for a new life. Citizen Barlow is in search of redemption. Aunt Ester is not too old to practice healing; she guides him on a soaring, lyrical journey of spiritual awakening to the City of Bones.
Citizen Barlow: A young man from Alabama who comes to the house to be cleansed by Ester. He is enlisted to help construct a wall, and eventually journeys to The City of Bones.
Solly Two Kings: a friend of Aunt Ester. He is a former slave from Alabama who later became a conductor on the underground railroad
and a scout for the Union Army. He makes a career of gathering up dog excrement, which he calls "pure", for manure. He carries a large walking stick and is in love with Aunt Ester. His real name is Alfred Jackson, but he calls himself "Two Kings" (referring to King David and King Solomon), and is nicknamed Solly.
"Black" Mary Wilkes: Ester's housekeeper and her protege in the art of Soul Cleansing. Caeser's sister. She performs most of the household tasks, but never to the satisfaction of Ester.
Caesar Wilkes: Black Mary's brother, a policeman, baker and land-owner. He upholds the law at all costs. He practices strict capitalism and has no qualms with killing a man over a petty crime.
Eli: Aunt Ester's caregiver, he protects the inhabitants and is constructing a wall. He was Solly's comrade in his efforts on the Underground Railroad and for The Union Army.
Rutherford Selig: A white peddler and friend of Ester's who frequently visits the house. He sells pots, pans and other crockery.
An incident at the local mill has ignited the African-American community. A black man was accused of stealing a bucket of nails. Rather than confessing to a crime he didn't commit, he jumped into the river and drowned. This has made him a martyr to his co-workers who have gone on strike and are rioting. Caesar, the local law enforcement official, is in the middle of it. He's arrested many people and shot one.
Against this turbulent backdrop Aunt Ester launches Citizen on a spiritual journey aboard the legendary slave ship, Gem of the Ocean, to the mythical City of Bones. There, Citizen comes to understand the story of his ancestors and faces the truth about his crime and the man he wronged.
During Citizen's journey the local steel mill is discovered to be on fire. Caesar returns to the house and accuses Solly of arson. Solly strikes Caesar with his walking stick and flees. Aunt Ester and Rutherford Selig help Solly sneak out of the city, accompanied by Citizen Barlow. However, Caesar catches up to Solly and shoots him. The mortally wounded Solly is returned to the house and place on the kitchen table where Black Mary and Ester clean and dress his body for burial. When Caesar comes to Aunt Ester's to question Citizen about the incident, Black Mary renounces her brother Caesar. Caesar leaves and Citizen dons Solly's coat and takes up his walking stick intending to continue where Solly left off, guiding his people on their journey toward freedom.
"Gem of the Ocean" played at Playhouse on the Square (www.playhouseonthesquare.org) in Memphis, TN from September 23 - October 16, 2011.
August Wilson
August Wilson was an American playwright whose work included a series of ten plays, The Pittsburgh Cycle, for which he received two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama...
. It is the first installment of his decade-by-decade, ten-play chronicle, The Pittsburgh Cycle, dramatizing the African-American experience in the twentieth century.
Plot
The play is set in 1904 at 1839 Wylie Avenue in Pittsburgh's Hill District. Aunt Ester, the drama's 285-year-old fiery matriarch, welcomes into her home Solly Two Kings, who was born into slavery and scouted for the Union ArmyUnion Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
, and Citizen Barlow, a young man from Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
searching for a new life. Citizen Barlow is in search of redemption. Aunt Ester is not too old to practice healing; she guides him on a soaring, lyrical journey of spiritual awakening to the City of Bones.
Characters
Aunt Ester Tyler: a former slave and a "soul-cleanser", who is the head of 1839 Wylie Avenue. She claims to be 285 years old and acts as the benevolent, if disciplinarian, ruler of the household. She entertains the romantic ambitions of Solly. She is a recurring character in several of Wilson's plays of the Pittsburgh Cycle.Citizen Barlow: A young man from Alabama who comes to the house to be cleansed by Ester. He is enlisted to help construct a wall, and eventually journeys to The City of Bones.
Solly Two Kings: a friend of Aunt Ester. He is a former slave from Alabama who later became a conductor on the underground railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
and a scout for the Union Army. He makes a career of gathering up dog excrement, which he calls "pure", for manure. He carries a large walking stick and is in love with Aunt Ester. His real name is Alfred Jackson, but he calls himself "Two Kings" (referring to King David and King Solomon), and is nicknamed Solly.
"Black" Mary Wilkes: Ester's housekeeper and her protege in the art of Soul Cleansing. Caeser's sister. She performs most of the household tasks, but never to the satisfaction of Ester.
Caesar Wilkes: Black Mary's brother, a policeman, baker and land-owner. He upholds the law at all costs. He practices strict capitalism and has no qualms with killing a man over a petty crime.
Eli: Aunt Ester's caregiver, he protects the inhabitants and is constructing a wall. He was Solly's comrade in his efforts on the Underground Railroad and for The Union Army.
Rutherford Selig: A white peddler and friend of Ester's who frequently visits the house. He sells pots, pans and other crockery.
Synopsis
1904, Pittsburgh: 1839 Wylie Street in the Hill District is the home of Aunt Ester, a 285-year-old former slave, who is a keeper of tradition and history for her people and a renowned cleanser of souls. The people who pass through her parlor and kitchen include Eli, Aunt Ester's protector; Black Mary, her housekeeper and protegé; Solly Two Kings, a former slave, conductor on the Underground Railroad and scout for the Union Army; Black Mary's brother, Caesar, a constable; Rutherford Selig, a white peddler; and Citizen Barlow, a new arrival from down South who needs Aunt Ester to help him absolve the guilt and shame from a crime he's committed.An incident at the local mill has ignited the African-American community. A black man was accused of stealing a bucket of nails. Rather than confessing to a crime he didn't commit, he jumped into the river and drowned. This has made him a martyr to his co-workers who have gone on strike and are rioting. Caesar, the local law enforcement official, is in the middle of it. He's arrested many people and shot one.
Against this turbulent backdrop Aunt Ester launches Citizen on a spiritual journey aboard the legendary slave ship, Gem of the Ocean, to the mythical City of Bones. There, Citizen comes to understand the story of his ancestors and faces the truth about his crime and the man he wronged.
During Citizen's journey the local steel mill is discovered to be on fire. Caesar returns to the house and accuses Solly of arson. Solly strikes Caesar with his walking stick and flees. Aunt Ester and Rutherford Selig help Solly sneak out of the city, accompanied by Citizen Barlow. However, Caesar catches up to Solly and shoots him. The mortally wounded Solly is returned to the house and place on the kitchen table where Black Mary and Ester clean and dress his body for burial. When Caesar comes to Aunt Ester's to question Citizen about the incident, Black Mary renounces her brother Caesar. Caesar leaves and Citizen dons Solly's coat and takes up his walking stick intending to continue where Solly left off, guiding his people on their journey toward freedom.
Productions
- In 2004 and 2005, the play ran at the Walter Kerr TheatreWalter Kerr TheatreThe Walter Kerr Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre. Located at 219 West 48th Street, it is owned and operated by Jujamcyn Theaters. One of the smaller auditoriums in the theatre district, it seats 975....
on BroadwayBroadway theatreBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and received five Tony AwardTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nominations. Ben Brantley of The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote of the play: "A swelling battle hymn of transporting beauty. Theatergoers who have followed August Wilson's career will find in Gem a touchstone for everything else he has written". - "Gem of the Ocean" played at The Actors' Group (TAG) Theatre (www.taghawaii.net) in Honolulu, HawaiiHonolulu, HawaiiHonolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
on February 18 - March 13, 2011. - "Gem of the Ocean" played at Hartford Stage(http://blogs.courant.com/curtain/2011/05/press-night-switched-to-friday.html) in Hartford, ConnecticutHartford, ConnecticutHartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
on May 12 - June 5, 2011. - "Gem of the Ocean" played at Hangar Theatre (www.hangartheatre.org) in Ithaca, New York from July 28 to August 6, 2011.
- "Gem of the Ocean" will be performed at The Sister Thea Bowman Memorial Theater (www.lowerbottomplayaz.com) in the Prescott Joseph Center for Community Enhancement in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, CaliforniaOakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. August, 2011 - Six Performances: Friday, Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees August 19th-21st and 26th-28th. - "Gem of the Ocean" will have a three-week run at The Human Race Theatre Company (www.humanracetheatre.org) in Dayton, Ohio from March 30 to April 13, 2012.
"Gem of the Ocean" played at Playhouse on the Square (www.playhouseonthesquare.org) in Memphis, TN from September 23 - October 16, 2011.
External links
- NY Times Review Accessed 14 March 2007