Last night I had the delight of being invited along to the wonderful Leeds Playhouse to review the press night performance of “Fences”, a play by August Wilson directed by the brilliant Daniel Bailey. Fences is a brilliantly real story. Set in 1957 we follow the character of Troy Marxson and his family in a changing world. We see the ups and downs for the family, from Troy receiving a promotion to his infidelity getting discovered and all the emotional twists and turns in between.
Ray Fearon leads the cast as Troy Marxson. Fearon is phenomenal in this role. He is wonderfully real, with real emotions manifesting themselves in real ways. He had just a touch of menace to his portrayal but completely appropriate for a father in this period. The monologues Fearon delivered had me on the edge of my seat and I was utterly gripped by his portrayal. Madeline Appiah stars opposite him as Troy’s wife of 18 years Rose. Appiah was extremely likeable in this role, really delivering as the glue that is holding this family together. She was strong throughout but my word her second act had my jaw on the floor. Very rarely do you see a character break down in such a raw and believable manner. I had a glance around the audience and there were many a person subtly wiping a tear away.
Michael Ahomka-Lindsay was strong as Lyons, the son of Troy to another woman pre Rose, with a natural cheekiness to his portrayal but also a real sense of pride. Josh Tedeku was great as Cory. Tedeku’s showing of the son standing up to his dad was carefully executed and thoroughly deserved, with the audience definitely sympathising with all that Cory had been through. Simon-Anthony Rhoden was fabulous as Gabriel. Gabriel is a character that could easily become a pastiche of a wounded soldier with brain damage, but Rhoden delivered this role in a respectful and brilliant manner. The childlike charm of Gabriel was warming and his relationship with Rose was a particular highlight. Everal A Walsh was great as Jim Bono, again being naturally likeable whilst also being a great plot device of a shoulder to cry on for Troy. We learn some of the inner thoughts that Troy had through his conversations with Jim Bono and the show is all the better for it.
A special mention has to go to Aita Mushuku as Raynell, with such a strong performance coming from such a young actor always being a highlight. Bravo!
In terms of production aspects, I thought this production excelled. The lighting and sound were both crisp and appropriate, in particular the sound balance for the space was perfect. The set was also spot on, a two storey house on a revolving stage surrounded by a fence. The revolve allowed us to really feel as if we were in the story, showing us the inner workings of the house.
Overall, I would recommend Fences in the highest of regards, this is a production that shows for me the very best of British theatre.
Reviewer: Adam Craddock
Reviewed: 16th September 2026
North West End UK Rating: