Her wisdom is a mix of African ritual and Biblical allegory that’s just insightful enough to make the audience wonder how much of it is true.ĭespite only appearing sporadically, Caesar is a surprisingly fascinating villain. Aunt Ester claims to be 285-years-old and remembers coming to America on slave ships. Gem of the Ocean sets itself apart from other plays in the Century Cycle by indulging in magical realism. When disgruntled mill worker Citizen Barlow (Henry Noble) arrives at her home, Ester, surprisingly, allows him in, promising to give the divine cleansing Citizen thinks he desperately needs (but not in the way he expects). However, absolution doesn’t come easy, as one particular young traveler soon learns.Īs Gem begins, Ester (Treasure Lunan) lives at 1839 Wiley Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Hill District with her caregiver Eli (Victor Mack) and her protégé Black Mary (Andrea Vernae). Gem of the Ocean, which is currently onstage at Portland Center Stage, is the first of these stories chronologically, setting its action in 1904 and introducing audiences to Aunt Ester Tyler, a shamanistic woman who acts as a spiritual advisor to misguided Blacks who need to get their souls clean. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson is best known for his Century Cycle, a collection of 10 stories, each one set in a different decade of the 20th Century, that look at the lives of Black Americans and their struggles in a callous and unjust world. Gem of the Ocean (Shawnte Sims) By Morgan Shaunette Maat 8:00 pm PDT

Gem of the ocean play