Review: Beneath the Bombast, ‘Fences’ Has an Aching Poetry

By the end of “Fences,” we will have learned a lot about Troy Maxson — about his hard Southern childhood, his time in prison and the Negro Leagues, his work ethic, his sexual appetites and his parenting philosophy — but the first and most important thing we know about the man is that he is one of the world’s great talkers. He enters the screen on a tide of verbiage, jawing with his friend Bono (Stephen McKinley Henderson) and bantering with his wife, Rose (Viola Davis). The audience quickly grasps what Rose and Bono have known for years. Troy is by turns funny, provocative, inspiring and hurtful, but one thing he will never be as long as he draws breath is silent….