Photo of Kelvin Roston Jr., Ronald L. Conner, Kierra Bunch, A.C. Smith, and TayLar by Michael Brosilow.
Get to know the characters of King Hedley IIand read a detailed synopsis of the play.
Characters
Ruby: 60s; King’s mother and a former big band singer who recently moved back to Pittsburgh; Ruby first appeared in Wilson’s play Seven Guitars (played by TayLar)
King Hedley: 30s with a vicious scar running down the left side of his face; he spent seven years in prison and strives to live by his own moral code (played by Kelvin Roston Jr.)
Stool Pigeon: 60s; King’s next-door neighbor and the Hill District’s spiritual and practical truth-sayer (played by Dexter Zollicoffer)
Tonya: 30s; King’s wife of a few years (played by Kierra Bunch)
Mister: 30s; King’s best friend since grade school and sometimes-business partner (played by Ronald L. Conner)
Elmore: 60s; Ruby’s longtime but sporadic flame and a professional hustler; Elmore is first referenced in Seven Guitars (played by A.C. Smith)
Synopsis
Read on to discover the plot of King Hedley II. Contains spoilers!
The play begins with a prologue: Stool Pigeon warns the audience that things will get worse before they find their way right again, but that God has everything planned out. He says Aunt Ester, a legendary 366-year-old woman, has the wisdom that the people need. (Aunt Ester appears in other plays in August Wilson’s Century Cycle: she is a character in Gem of the Ocean and is referenced in bothTwo Trains Running and Radio Golf).
King is planting seeds when Ruby enters from the house. Her old flame, Elmore, is coming back into town. Mister enters, and he and King argue about their refrigerator business. Ruby chastises them for selling stolen goods, saying they’ll land right back in prison. King murdered a man named Pernell after he cut and scarred Hedley’s face, and Mister tells Hedley that Pernell’s cousin is looking for him, seeking revenge. Hedley grabs a pistol and vows to seek him out first. As he exits, Stool Pigeon rushes in to announce that Aunt Ester has died.
The next day, King is watering seeds. He hasn’t found Pernell yet. Mister and King hatch a plan to rob a jewelry store to raise money for the video store they want to open together. Tonya enters, distraught; she is pregnant and tells King that she wants to get an abortion. She doesn’t want to raise a child in the face of consistent violence at the hands of police and the community. King does not agree and storms off. Ruby tells Tonya that she nearly aborted King, but Aunt Ester convinced her not to. She urges her to trust God’s plan.
Later, Ruby tells Elmore it’s time to settle down and stop traveling and hustling. Elmore says they should get married, but Ruby says they’re both too old now. Elmore persuades Mister into buying a gun from him. King enters, furious—he received racist treatment at Sears. King describes other instances of racism in court during the trial for Pernell’s murder, and the racism he faced repeatedly in school. King’s agitation rises and peaks when Elmore accidentally steps on his seeds. He proclaims he is his father’s son, King Hedley II, and anyone who messes with him is going to face World War III.
Stool Pigeon buries a black cat right next to King’s seeds. He says it was Aunt Ester’s cat, and it will come back to life. King enters and places barbed wire around his plot to protect his seeds. Stool Pigeon gives him a machete wrapped in cloth, and tells him it’s the weapon his father, Hedley, used to murder Floyd Barton (this murder takes place in August Wilson’s play Seven Guitars). Mister and King leave to rob the jewelry store.
Afterwards, Mister chastises King for trying to get more than the cash in the till — King stole a ring for Tonya. King and Elmore discuss the crimes that landed them in jail. King says if Pernell hadn’t called him “champ” he wouldn’t have killed him. Stool Pigeon has been robbed, which makes Ruby worry for her own safety. Mister gives her the gun he got from Elmore for protection. Tonya enters and King gives her $500 — she refuses it, knowing he’s stolen it. She doesn’t want him going to jail on her behalf, and begs him not to steal for her.
Tonya and Ruby commiserate about needing their men to stop going to jail. Stool Pigeon enters and says he’s looking for blood for Aunt Ester’s cat’s grave. King enters having just been to Pernell’s grave. He didn’t realize that Pernell was a father when he killed him. He tells Tonya that despite any individual’s missteps, they still deserve to live. Tonya tells him to stop looking for dangerous ways to be a man, and that she doesn’t need material things. She just wants him to be safe and present with her.
Tonya and Ruby commiserate about needing their men to stop going to jail. Stool Pigeon enters and says he’s looking for blood for Aunt Ester’s cat’s grave. King enters having just been to Pernell’s grave. He didn’t realize that Pernell was a father when he killed him. He tells Tonya that despite any individual’s missteps, they still deserve to live. Tonya tells him to stop looking for dangerous ways to be a man, and that she doesn’t need material things. She just wants him to be safe and present with her.
Upon returning, King gives Elmore the $50 his biological father Leroy owed Elmore. King insists they shoot craps. When Elmore wins, King accuses Elmore of switching the dice and threatens him with a machete, but is unable to kill him. When he turns his back, Elmore pulls out a gun, demands King face him, and then Elmore is in turn unable to kill King. Ruby enters from the house brandishing a gun and shoots King in the throat. Ruby sings mournfully as he dies over the cat’s grave. Stool Pigeon rejoices and prays, and a meow is heard.
King Hedley II takes place in the Hill District of Pittsburgh in 1985. The set is comprised of two houses with a vacant lot between them. Ruby lives with King and Tonya in one of the houses, and Stool Pigeon lives in the house on the opposite side of the vacant lot, separated by a fence.
Place in August Wilson’s American Century Cycle
King Hedley II is the ninth play chronologically in August Wilson’s Century Cycle, taking place in the 1980s. It was written in 1999 and produced by Court Theatre in 2019.
A Note for Teachers
This play features racial slurs, gun violence, and mentions of murder and abortion. Please prepare students accordingly.
