Just because Denzel Washington has two Oscars sitting somewhere in his house, it doesn't necessarily mean he can step onto a New York stage and deliver the goods. He has proven himself cinematically speaking, but this is live theater. You only get one take when the audience is sitting, watching and breathing a few feet away from you.

Broadway is adorned with big name Hollywood stars of late. It's a cyclical thing. Movie stars turn to Broadway for the work and quite possibly to legitimize their own acting skills.

But let's get back to Denzel. How is he in "Fences"? He is a force.

Yet if Mr. Washington commands presence and power in this production, you could credit the play - this one is all about the words and the way they are delivered. August Wilson's story about an African American family in the 1950s won the Pulitzer Prize for drama and also grabbed four Tony awards when it opened in 1987. But "Fences" couldn't stand on its own in 2010 if it were built on that legacy alone. FULL POST