Saw Fences on Broadway with Billy Dee Williams and twice in a regional production with an amazing John Amos. The beauty of the scene is that it played differently every time depending on the audience. Williams was light and he got laughs, especially from the black men in the audience who were on Troy's side, even at the end of the play. And they were loud, too. They talked back to the play. Amos on opening night played to a white audience who were spellbound and quiet as this scene progressed. Later that month, Amos drew laughs but they were uncomfortable.
I wish I had seen James Earl Jones, who has that Darth Vader gravitas about him. Amos probably came closer than Washington who is probably better than Williams.
