Radio Golf

As we've learned, elections can be full of drama. So hand it to the Ensemble Theatre for opening its 2008-2009 season with a play about a successful entrepreneur who sets his sights on becoming Philadelphia's first black mayor in Radio Golf, the final installment in August Wilson's ten-play cycle about the African-American experience in the 20th century. When successful businessman Harmond Wilks thinks about using government money to change the character of his neighborhood, his past comes to call and challenges everything Wilks thinks he wants.

The past is always colliding with the present in Wilson's plays, and so it makes sense that he would bring the past to the black middle class. The politically charged story questions the values of folks trying to make it in "mainstream" America, so prepare for some high-wire dialogue such as a debate over the N word. This is political theater at its best. Radio Golf is making its regional premiere. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 3 p.m. Sundays. Through October 19. 3535 Main. For information, call 713-520-0055 or visit www.ensemblehouston.com. $15 to $35.
Thursdays-Sundays. Starts: Sept. 20. Continues through Oct. 19, 2008