“May you find your song; may you find your journey.” —Sankina A. Ansari, August Wilson’s daughter. Here at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, the second installment of the three-year Baltimore August Wilson Celebration, is standing the test of time by captivating people from one generation to the next. While the award-winning playwright’s works are always complex, they still manage to capture your soul. Josh Wilder (Herold Loomis), Zipporah Brown Gladden (Mattie Campbell), and Mikayla Uqdah (Zonia Loomis) in August Wilson’s ‘Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.’ Photo by Kiirstn Pagan Photography. Set in a boarding house in Pittsburgh in 1911, this play, aptly directed by KenYatta Rogers, is centered around Herald Loomis (Josh Wilder), his daughter Zonia Loomis (Kenya Mitchell), and the search for Herald’s wife, Martha Pentecost (Lauren Davis) after a forced separation due to Joe Turner’s chain gang. Their long and arduous journey finds them amid a colorful group of folks who are as life would have it at various stages of their own journey. A woman who is desperate to have her man come home to her, a man child who is dealing with the complications of being a young Black man without direction, a couple who run a “respectable boarding house,” with a root worker who has the power to bind — their lives intertwine to produce a gripping and explosive ending that will leave you spellbound. The intricacy of this play allows you to see multiple points of view at once. It also allows you to appreciate the humanity of Black people in a world and time that sees them as less than. Gregory Burgess, who brilliantly portrays Bynum Walker, a root worker, breathes wisdom and humor into his lessons. He was often in the center of my most-liked moments — so witty when he needed to be but so very wise as well. I was lost in his story of how his daddy helped him find his song and why he searches for the shiny man. He is essentially the spiritual backbone of this play. I also delighted in the chemistry between Seth and Bertha Holly (Jefferson A. Russell and Aakhu Tuahnera Freeman). Seth’s antics as the owner of the house added a much-needed light touch. My favorite line from this play comes from him: “He looks like he owes the devil a day of work” tickled my funny bone. Bertha was no slouch either. She was the sweet, loving wife who showered everyone with compassion even when her husband could be a bit much trying to maintain a respectable house. TOP and ABOVE: The cast of August Wilson’s ‘Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.’ Photos by Kiirstn Pagan Photography. The angst and desperation of Mattie Campbell (delightfully interpreted by Zipporah Brown Gladden) made your heart ache while simultaneously being exasperated for the way she succumbs to brazen lines being fed to her by men who think she’s a good woman but not good enough to stay with. She had me believing that she believed the words that fell from their lips. Herald Loomis was intimidating and foreboding throughout the play, to the point that he creeped me out — especially the way he was dressed in his black hat with matching black coat. Kudos to the costume designer Wil E. Crowther for a job well done. All the costumes just felt right for the time and place of this story. In two of the most memorable scenes, you finally get to see some of what drives Herald Loomis — his pain and fear when he talks about the bones walking on the water. The gravity of that moment holds you and won’t let you go — a scene I won’t soon forget. The other is the heartwrenching tale he shares about how he ends up where he is and his search for his wife, along with his place in the world. I had to really work at not shedding tears, it was so moving. I won’t spoil the ending for you but know it’s explosive in more ways than one. I truly had an emotional second where I wanted to scream a few things. Overall, this play came together exquisitely. The amazing set design by Timothy Jones, and the sublime use of projections by Zavier Augustus Lee, elevated the complete experience. Even though there were some minor mishaps with a few lines, I highly recommend that you come take a seat in this alluring, intimate theater with a rich history and enjoy one of the best plays this fall season has to offer. Running Time: Two hours and 45 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission. Joe Turner’s Come and Gone plays through October 13, 2024, at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, 7 South Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD. Purchase tickets $31–$69) by calling 410-244-8570 or ordering online. The program for Joe Turner’s Come and Gone is online here.  Joe Turner’s Come and Gone By August Wilson Directed by KenYatta Rogers CAST Seth Holly – Jefferson A. Russell Bertha Holly – Aakhu Tuahnera Freeman Bynum Walker – Gregory Burgess Rutherford Selig – Joe Crea Jeremy Furlow – Miles Folley Herold Loomis – Josh Wilder Zonia Loomis – Kenya Mitchell, Mikayla Uqdah Mattie Campbell – Zipporah Brown Gladden Reuben Mercer – Andre Walker, Harold S. Henry III Mollie Cunningham – Mecca Verdell Martha Pentecoste (Loomis) – Lauren Davis ARTISTIC AND CREATIVE TEAM Director – KenYatta Rogers Production Manager – Lauren Engler Assistant Director – Lauren Erica Jackson Production Stage Manager – Alexis E. Davis Technical Director – Dan O’Brien Costume Designer – Wil E. Crowther Set Designer – Timothy Jones Lighting Designer – Katie McCreary Sound Designer – Adam Mendelson Music Director – Eros Da Artiste Props Artisan – Paige Stone Projection Designer – Zavier Augustus Lee Taylor Violence, Intimacy, and Dialect Coach – Gerrad Alex Taylor Dance/Movement Choreographer – CJ Philip Production Associate – Dawn Thomas Reidy Assistant Stage Manager – Oriana Montes Assistant Technical Director – Chester Stacy Dramaturg – Khalid Long Wardrobe Supervisor – Hannah Brill Board Operator – Jade Jones Child Minder – Vanessa Strickland SEE ALSO: August Wilson’s ‘American Century Cycle’ to play at 10 theaters in Baltimore (news story, August 3, 2024)