“Fences” at Leeds Playhouse

John Murphy in North East England
★★★★☆
17 September 2026

In 2021 Headlong revived Jitney, part of August Wilson’s celebrated Pittsburgh Cycle, which premiered at Leeds Playhouse before transferring to the Old Vic the following year. It was a powerful, intense production with a uniformly excellent cast, and five years on the company have returned to West Yorkshire to tackle one of Wilson’s most famous works, Fences.

Madeline Appiah and Ray Fearon.
Photo credit: Tyler Fayose.

As with Jitney, there’s almost an immersive feel to Daniel Bailey’s production. Immediately, you’re drawn into the 1950s Pittsburgh setting, thanks in no small part to Lily Arnold’s wondrous stage design – an intricately designed house on a rotating stage, flanked on one side by a majestic, full-size tree and the titular fences on the other.

As usual with Wilson’s work, not too much seems to happen on the surface, but underneath an entire cauldron of emotions bubbles. Ostensibly, Fences is a family drama, a tale of how trauma can be passed from generation to generation, but the issues painted by Wilson are universal ones.

Any production of Fences stands and falls on the casting of Troy Maxson, one of the great, charismatic anti-heroes of modern theatre. It’s the sort of role that you’d think would be dream casting for a Black actor of a certain age, and Ray Fearon certainly gives a magnetic, hugely physical performance as Troy. All of Troy’s resentment and anger seem to be packed into Fearon’s frame – whether he’s shooting the breeze with his best friend Bono, or squaring up to either of the sons he treats so monstrously, there’s a lifetime of built-up anger always bubbling under the surface.

Where Fearon’s is a performance turned up to ten, he’s contrasted nicely by Josh Teduku, who’s quietly devastating as younger son Cory, who watches as his dreams of becoming a football star fade away. Teduku’s haunting, plaintive cry to his father of “why don’t you like me?” lives long after the curtain call.

Set design by Lily Arnold.
Photo credit: Tyler Faose.

There’s also some lovely, understated work from Madeline Appiah, whose long-suffering, betrayed Rose is the beating heart of the play, and Michael Ahomka-Lindsay, desperate for his father’s approval of a music career while always asking for one last ten dollar bill. There’s also an absolutely delightful cameo from child actor Aita Mushuku who completely steals the last act of the play with her portrayal of Raynell.

Wilson’s dialogue is a dream for actors. Fearon in particular savours every syllable of one of Troy’s speeches, and it’s a marvel to behold how every little detail of the family’s life is explained as Wilson’s script develops. There may be one too many baseball metaphors for a British audience, and the symbolism of the fences of the title may not be subtle, but it’s a script that’s a joy to listen to.

Bailey also soaks his production in atmosphere, with Khalil Madovi’s jazzy score acting as interludes between the acts, performed in the house as it rotates, accompanied by neon lighting. Admittedly, the musical interludes may be over-extended, lengthening as they do an already marathon running time to almost 200 minutes in total.

Fences is certainly a long play, and one whose pace threatens to flag a bit, especially in the second half. Yet when the acting and general production is as good as this, that’s a minor quibble. This is another triumph for Headlong, who are quickly becoming the ideal company to stage an August Wilson production.