James Ijames finds a very Philly attitude in August Wilson’s characters

Philadelphia playwright James Ijames could feel the atmosphere shift as the city’s mood brightened thanks to the Eagles Super Bowl victory. He was preparing for his latest project, directing August Wilson’s King Hedley II at the Arden Theatre, and seeing signs with the Birds chant, “No one likes us, we don’t care.”

“I learned that quality in Philly,” Ijames said in a recent call with The Inquirer. “It has helped me survive the world. You don’t like me, I don’t care.”

Reflecting on Wilson’s characters in his new production, which began previews this week, Ijames recognized the same attitude in King, played by Akeem Davis. Newly released from prison, King is singularly focused on rebuilding his life, no matter what other people think about his unconventional methods — in this case, selling stolen refrigerators.

Set in 1985 Pittsburgh, the drama is part of Wilson’s American Century Cycle (or Pittsburgh Cycle). The inimitable dramatist wrote 10 plays, one for every decade of the 1900s, focusing on the African American experience. King Hedley II is the ninth play in the series, which includes frequently adapted texts like Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Piano Lesson, Fences, and Seven Guitars.

Wilson’s legacy has loomed large over generations of Black actors and playwrights. Ijames vividly remembers learning about Wilson’s monumental project in high school, when he delivered a monologue from Seven Guitars in a drama competition. “It was one of the first times I realized playwriting is a career,” said Ijames. He went on to pursue acting, writing, and directing, later becoming the Pulitzer-winning playwright of Fat Ham.

As an undergraduate at Morehouse College, Ijames met Wilson and performed scenes from Joe Turner’s Come and Gone in front of the dramatic powerhouse. “Humble isn’t even the right word. He really appreciated that these young people were doing his work,” Ijames recalled. “Certainly my generation has been incredibly influenced by August Wilson. I can’t think of a Black — or, really, white playwright — of my generation that I can point to and [say] well, that feels like Wilson. We’re all very much living under his wing.”

Revisiting Wilson’s work at the Arden is like a homecoming for Ijames, who directed Gem of the Ocean at the Old City theater in 2019. The Arden has committed to producing all 10 plays in Wilson’s cycle and Hedley marks their sixth production so far.

Old friends reunite in the show as Ijames works with Davis, his former roommate who also performed in Gem, and his longtime collaborator Taysha Marie Canales, who plays the unapologetic Tonya (the role that earned Viola Davis her first Tony Award). On stage, Davis and Canales, married in real life, play a struggling couple — a bitter, frustrated husband and an exhausted, fed up wife.

In the play, King returns home following the nationwide recession due to President Ronald Reagan’s false promises of a trickle-down economy that would benefit all. As income inequality worsens, he has to hustle for every dollar. He takes the everyone-else-be-damned approach, essentially declaring “war on a society that refuses to acknowledge his existence and humanity,” according to the late Marion McClinton, a longtime Wilson director who spearheaded King Hedley II on Broadway in 2001.

It’s a dark play that doesn’t just look back at historic hardships, but it also mirrors today’s economic strain under President Donald Trump’s austerity measures. King Hedley II returns to Philadelphia, Ijames explains, as a warning of the many challenges to come.

“A thing that runs through this play is the fact that people have to operate inside of shadow economies to survive,” said Ijames. “When reactionary politics take over, the people who operate inside of that hustle culture suffer the most … that was true in ‘85 and I feel that this administration will have a similar effect on working-class, middle- and upper-middle-class folks.”

Despite the story’s weight, Ijames is grateful to work with his friends on another Wilson classic. Together, they’re undaunted. And if you don’t like it? They (probably) don’t care.

“King Hedley II” runs through March 30 at the Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St., 215-922-1122 or ardentheatre.org.