‘Jitney’ is a US term for an unlicensed mini cab firm. It’s a seemingly undramatic word for a play of such intense drama, that I challenge you not be deeply affected by its visceral pathos. Written by the great African-American playwright August Wilson, it is the first of his Pittsburgh series. Set in a poor district of the city, the work examines the often turbulent lives of six cab drivers waiting for the next call to work in the drab surroundings of a run-down 1970s taxi office. The business is run by old man Becker – superbly portrayed by Wil Johnson, a towering performance of deep humanity and gut-wrenching anger. This fury is directed at his son, Booster, who has just been released from the state pen after serving time for a cold-blooded murder. There is no reconciliation – far from it.

The genius of Wilson’s characters is the sheer variety and depth of each – men of colour struggling against poverty, racial discrimination and forbidden opportunities. There is Fielding – an alcoholic taxi driver. He is played by Tony Marshall with tremendous nuance and the best portrayal of a permanent drunk I’ve seen in years. Then there is the hot tempered Youngblood, a streetwise young man now a father of a two year-old and partner of the very suspicious partner Rena (the only female in the cast). An older man Doub, a veteran of the Korean war has a fascinating set to with a younger man who is recently out of Vietnam. There are ghosts haunting their memories.

Here then is a beautifully crafted play in the world of Tennessee Williams or Arthur Miller. The characters in the play are so richly drawn, so full of innate humour, suppressed anger and cockeyed optimism that any combination of the ensemble (nine in total) yields a fascinating set of exchanges. The savage confrontation between Becker and his ex-lag son is so intense that the interval came as welcome relief. The language is rich, the ideas piling on top of each other. The performances are top notch and the direction is incredibly deft and imaginative.

The stage is set within a tight diagonal frame surrounded by a screen on to which projected images can be placed. It added a touch of heightened magic to the more than down to earth stories being played out. Like all great plays, we the audience are often caught in the middle of personality battles; there is no preaching here, no self pity, even in the second half some optimism that scarred lives can be changed; that the American dream, even if fleeting, is still with the grasp of these vulnerable people. The work subtly edges towards individual epiphanies and directions are changed by circumstance and a growing understanding of life. We care for the characters so much that the long performance time (around 2 ½ hours) seemed to fly by in a dream.

This is a great play, beautifully performed and exquisitely directed. You will love the 70s Afros, the flares, the music, the backdrops, but most of all you will love the landscape of humanity laid before you in this masterpiece of writing.

Box Office: 01223 503333 / www.cambridgeartstheatre.com

https://www.cambridgeartstheatre.com/whats-on/jitney