Playwright August Wilson is best known for his "Pittsburg Cycle," a collection of 10 plays centering on the black experience, set primarily in a working-class neighborhood and occurring in each decade of the 20th century.

The exploration of those works continues at The Actors Group with a new production of "Fences," which takes place in the 1950s and centers on the domestic life of a former Negro League baseball player turned garbage collector.

Troy Maxson is an extraordinarily bitter man, trapped by personal duty into an 18-year marriage, but longing to "steal second base" for a less demanding life that might offer a bit of pleasure.

Baseball metaphors abound as Troy threatens his disobedient teenage son with an ominous "strike 2" and holds the Grim Reaper at bay with a baseball bat: "Death ain't nothing but a fastball on the outside corner."

The play's title is similarly metaphoric, with the literal backyard picket fence representing boundaries that "hold people in" or "keep people out."

But the sense of duty continues to trump both emotion and manipulation as Troy and others subordinate desire for correct behavior: "Don't you worry 'bout whether someone like you; worry 'bout whether they're doin' right by you."

Wilson's play-crafting is better known for creating character through meandering dialogue than for tightly controlled plotting. The first act of "Fences" is true to form, being essentially a 90-minute monologue for the central character, minimally supplemented by supporting roles. But Act 2 has altogether a different tone. While the character of Troy Maxson remains strong, the plot truly begins to boil over.

The evening is a personal triumph for Curtis Duncan in the demanding central role. He builds it slowly.

We first see Troy laughing and joking in a weekly Friday-night drinking binge, his only claim to personal relief from the drudgery of work and the obligation to provide for his family.

Cracks in that dutiful facade eventually reveal themselves. Troy is insensitive to his wife and bullies his son away from dreams of a college sports scholarship.

Duncan's powerful and strongly articulated performance reveals Troy as mean-spirited and resentful of a life that has dealt him a poor hand. He acts out both hurtfully and selfishly.

This makes for super-emotional second-act scenes that rattle the tiny Yellow Brick Studio and galvanize its small audience. Imagine a raving King Lear only an arm's length away or a blind Oedipus brushing against your knees.

Act 2 also brings the supporting cast into full focus to share the bright light with Duncan. Wendy Pearson shapes Troy's wife into a character with her own strong-willed spine. Savada Gilmore breaks free as Troy's submerged son. Chris Smith as Troy's mentally confused brother emerges as a pure soul with nearly celestial powers, and Derrick Brown — who also directs — finds real humor as Troy's uncomplicated best friend.

The result is a production that is movingly human and wonderfully theatrical. Get your tickets early, as seating is limited in the small space.