'Gem' of a journey at Everyman

The tiny boat that Citizen Barlow cups in his hands is made from a sheet of yellow, folded parchment. The craft, named The Gem of the Ocean, would dissolve the second it made contact with actual water.

Nonetheless, the seemingly fragile vessel is sturdy enough to transport a man in anguish on the voyage of a lifetime, a journey that cleanses his soul. Can there by a stronger statement of playwright August Wilson's faith in the power of paper, and the words written upon them?

The production of Gem running at Everyman Theatre is transporting in the best sense of the word. Just as the ship carries characters in the play to a place of redemption and healing, the show launches the audience on an expedition of its own.

Gem is the first play to occur chronologically in Wilson's 10-drama cycle, which explores the African-American experience during each decade of the 20th century. It is set in Pittsburgh in 1904 at the rooming house of Aunt Ester, a 287-year-old former slave and mystic.

The play begins when the aptly named Citizen appears on Aunt Ester's doorstep, haunted by a crime he committed that resulted in a death. Aunt Ester guides Citizen on a journey to the City of Bones, an underwater kingdom built from the skulls, femurs and tibia of the people who perished aboard the African slave ships.

Citizen's travels to the past equip him to deal with present crises, including a riot at the mill that is the main source of employment for poor people in town, resulting in a crackdown by a brutal black overseer, fittingly named Caesar.

With so much going on, Gem easily could wander off-course, but director Jennifer L. Nelson keeps a steady hand on the tiller. The action shifts seamlessly between the play's two worlds, the real-life and spiritual realms. Citizen Barlow may feel lost; the audience never does.

Partly, that's because of the impassioned performances by Lizan Mitchell as Aunt Ester and Jefferson Russell as Citizen.

Mitchell is tiny and deceptively fragile in appearance. In her flounced, Victorian-era garb, she resembles nothing so much as an open toy paper umbrella. But every cell in her body seems to exert a special charge. When Mitchell was guiding Citizen on his journey, I would not have been surprised if inanimate objects had lifted off from tabletops and shelves and begun to fly in her direction, unable to resist her magnetic force.

Russell, a former Baltimore police officer, pitches his performance to match Mitchell's. Russell shows us the fissures that have developed in this strong man, how mightily Citizen is striving to hold himself together.

Only Kevin Jiggetts' portrayal of the corrupt Caesar lacks complexity and nuance. Partly, that's the result of the one-note way the role is written; Wilson seems unable to sympathize with a man who oppresses his own people. If the audience occasionally glimpsed Caesar's admirable qualities, we still would despise him. But we'd also mourn the character's most unforgivable betrayal - of himself.

Daniel Ettinger nearly earns a co-directing credit, so crucial is his set design to the play's progress. During the crucial moments after Citizen "boards" the Gem, the walls of Aunt Ester's home swing back to reveal a star-studded night sky.

We might not be sure exactly where we're headed, but we know we're going on a journey.

mary.mccauley@baltsun.com

• DRIVER

• CUSTOMER SERVICE

• EDUCATION

• BOOKKEEPING

• FACILITIES MANAGER

• View all Top Jobs