Seven Guitars

Seven Guitars (1996), a play by August Wilson. [Walter Kerr Theatre, 187 perf.; NYDCC Award.] The title refers to seven residents of Pittsburgh's Hill District in the late 1940s, six of whom gather after the funeral of Floyd Barton ( Keith David) to mourn, joke, sing, and reminisce about the promising blues singer who was on the brink of a notable career. In flashbacks we see Floyd trying to convince his side men Canewell ( Ruben Santiago‐Hudson) and Red Carter ( Tommy Hollis) to go to Chicago with him to cut a record. Floyd also tries to sweet‐talk his ex‐lover Vera ( Viola Allen) into joining him, despite his past infidelity. He is successful in the second effort, but when he needs cash for the trip, Floyd takes part in a robbery and then is murdered by the half‐crazed old Hedley ( Roger Robinson) when he tries to bury the money in the yard. Jack Kroll in Newsweek described the play as “a kind of jazz cantata for actors” and the acting, under the direction of Lloyd Richards, was exemplary, particularly Santiago‐Hudson, who won a Tony Award.