The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival is welcoming back a venerated star of the silver screen to take on one of the theater’s greatest playwrights for the second year in a row.
After a lauded performance in August Wilson’s “How I Learned What I Learned” in 2021, actor Tony Todd is returning to the annual festival for the leading role in Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning “Fences.” Todd, a veteran of the horror genre, will step back into Troy, the patriarch of the Maxson family, in Wilson’s 1985 play.
“Fences” will have two preview shows at 7:30 p.m. on July 27 and 28. It opens at the same time on July 29 and runs through Aug. 7 at the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts at DeSales University.
Over his 30-plus-year career, the deep-voiced, towering Todd is best known for his iconic portrayal of the eponymous role in “Candyman,” the chilling 1992 horror film. He also played a key role in the “Final Destination” franchise. He’s had roles in “Platoon,” “The Rock” and the 2021 reboot of “Candyman,” where he briefly appeared in his original role.
“Fences” is the sixth entry into Wilson’s 10-part “Pittsburgh Cycle,” a series of plays largely taking place in Pittsburgh (except for one in Chicago) that depict the Black experience in the 20th Century. “Fences” premiered in 1985 with James Earl Jones in the role of Troy. Jones and Todd actually did one film together, a 1993 action film called “Excessive Force” that was a box-office flop.
Tickets, which start at $25, can be purchased online at pashakespeare.org.
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Connor Lagore may be reached at clagore@njadvancemedia.com.
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