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S U N D AY, A P R I L 0 1 , 2 0 0 7"King Hedley II" At SignatureSometimes critics get cheated by having to see a show early in its run. Alot of shows get much better AFTER they've been reviewed. I saw acritics' performance of Sondheim's "Passion" that was remarkable butweighted heavily towards the role played by Donna Murphy. (One ofthe four main characters had just replaced another actor.) I saw theshow again right before it closed and the change was amazing -- a showI had loved before was much, much better with the entire cast fullyintegrated into the story, without any sense of one person dominatingthe tale. Murphy was still brilliant, but the show was much better withthe others matching her blow for blow. And so to "King Hedley II." It'sthe third August Wilson play revived by Signature. I saw "Two TrainsRunning" and "Seven Guitars" and both productions were very, verygood. Strong ensembles all around and of course Wilson's plays aregreat. The only Wilson I'd seen before this season at Signature was"Jitney" off Broadway, so I was eager to jump into his ten-play cycle."King Hedley II" was a mess on Broadway from all I've heard, withBrian Stokes Mitchell (wonderful in "Kiss Me Kate") simply wrong forthe role of King. This revival got nice reviews, with everyone feeling theplay was rambling but frequently magnetic and the ensemble verygood. That doesn't go nearly far enough. But it's not the critics' fault.I'm sure these actors are getting better performance after performance.Wilson's work is rich and demanding and the more they do it, the morethey cohere. If the critics came back and reviewed the show I sawtonight, I'm sure they would RAVE. King is brimming with rage andrighteous (but it is rarely a righteous rage), his best friend Mister is afamiliar character without being a type and the genial hustler Elmore(the terrific Stephen McKinley Henderson) is endearingly cleverenough to know he might just have a few moments of happiness left inhim but old and wise enough to know the odds are still long. Peopletalk and talk and talk in Wilson's plays. But when a cast like this isdoing the talking, it couldn't be more satisfying. Signature hasn'tannounced its next season yet, but they're on a roll -- I pray they keeptackling Wilson. Give us "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" and "Fences" and"The Piano Lesson." And I'm debating whether to go back to "KingHedley II" again before it closes. It was that good.POSTED BY MICHAEL IN NEW YORK AT 12:46 AM

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