![]() ![]() His crime isn’t made clear, but his arrival coincides with heated tension in town after a man accused of stealing a bucket of nails from the local mill jumps into the river and drowns. That’s what brings troubled youth Citizen Barlow (Nathanael Judah) to her doorstep one night, a newcomer to town torn with guilt from something he has committed. Doubtful, but she certainly seems to possess centuries of pain and suffering to go with her reputation as a healer (she’s known as a “washer of souls”) from her Pittsburgh home in the Hill District. While historical, the play leans heavy on the spiritual side, embodied by a sort of folk priestess named Aunt Esther (Monica Parks), who claims to be 285 years old. This is the ninth play in the cycle, though the 1904 setting is the earliest in the timeline. “Gem of the Ocean” doesn’t quite reach those heights, if only because it’s one part of Wilson’s sprawling 10-play series “Pittsburgh Chronicle,” depicting the 20th-century Black experience across different decades. That it’s directed by former Obsidian Theatre Company artistic director Philip Akin is no surprise - his “Topdog/Underdog” and “Master Harold … and the Boys” are two of this company’s greatest productions ever. Though there’s two more holiday shows on deck for November, the summer season’s final opening Friday night is an emotional and incredibly performed high point of 2022 for the festival. The Shaw Festival’s 60th season may have gotten off to a shaky start, but August Wilson’s “Gem of the Ocean” is a stirring finish. ![]()
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