BORN IN THE RSA. Written by Barney Simon and the original cast. Directed by Thoko Ntshinga, with Faniswa Yisa, Emily Child, Francis Chouler, Roeline Daneel, Joanna Evans, Dobs Madotyeni and Zanele Radu. At Baxter Theatre until August 8. TRACEY SAUNDERS reviews
IT would be simplistic to relegate this production of Born in the RSA to sheer nostalgia. It is equally unnecessary to force it to acquire a state of relevance. It is a tragedy of our time that so much of the play is disturbingly relevant without the need for any adaptation. Many of the references made to poverty, police brutality and state coercion are sadly still a feature in the current South African landscape.
The simple and highly effective stage design is comprised of screens and platforms covered in newsprint. The headlines: “3 shot dead in Athlone”, “3 more die in continuous violence”, “Unrest as SAP visit township” alongside images of burning tyres are from the original period that the play was set in, or are they? All seven of the cast stand, or sit in various poses against this backdrop. Slowly they unveil their individual stories, each of which reveals a different aspect of South Africa’s history.
A young white woman in love with her sweetheart and father of her child, idealistic activists, a lawyer with a conscience, a police spy and ordinary citizens caught up in the horror of the day.
The lives of this diverse group of individuals are entwined in a very human story, which serves to highlight the inhumanity of the apartheid regime. The play was created by Barney Simon and the original cast of Fiona Ramsay, Terry Norton, Vanessa Cooke, Neil McCarthy, Timmy Kwebulana, Thoko Ntshinga and Gcina Mlhope.
Simon’s canny ability to use the real life experiences of the cast and careful observation of other people results in a docu-drama, rather than a pure fictional narrative.
The reality of life in South Africa in the 1980s during the State of Emergency is laid bare with an unflinching authenticity. Audiences who watched this and other plays presented by Simon would have been unable to join the “we didn't know” refrain, often given as a response to the lack of activism during that period. Despite the historical relevance of the piece it does not feel like a dry history class, or a lesson in morality. It is the deeply personal narratives that touch a chord and resonate strongly with audiences young and old. For some the incidences will be chillingly familiar, to others they present a cautionary tale of the dangers of an autocratic and cruel state.
Central to the play and performed by Faniswa Yisa is Thenjiwe Bono, an activist captured and imprisoned by the security police. Yisa is a phenomenal actress and her appearances in performances of Brett Bailey's medEia, and Jennie Reznek’s Every year, every day I am Walking are just two of her more recent roles, which have cemented her place as an extraordinary actor. In this production she exceeds her own high bar as she portrays the quiet stoicism of Bono.
There are several moments in the play where she stands in a defiant silence which is absolutely riveting and around which much of the other action on the stage seems to centre. Even in her silence her defiance and anger are palpable and she creates a tension which enthrals. Most of the story is narrated and given context by a human rights lawyer, Mia Steinman motivated by her conscience rather than monetary gain. She is an amalgamation of many lawyers who assisted victims of the apartheid legal system prior to 1994. Her obstinate and resolute commitment to justice is unwavering and Child is superb in the role. She holds her ground despite the arrogance of the unjust legal system, and manages to convey the horror and lunacy of many of the regulations in a quiet understated manner which is coldly menacing.
Chouler is a charming young man – Glen Donahue, until his real identity is exposed. His charm does not dissipate, but as one is made aware of what his objectives are, his charm becomes nauseating rather than appealing. He is excellent in the role and it may take a while to see him without an involuntary grimace in the near future. Evans has stepped away from her many directorial roles to act as Susan Lang, the fervent, albeit slightly naive, activist and Bono's friend. She brings a sincerity and fragility to the role, which belies the fierce acts of defiance she uses to remain sane once she is incarcerated.
Zacharia Melani, played by Dobs Madotyeni, becomes an unwitting participant in the underground activities of Bono and Lang. In a scene where he gives vent to his anger at the appalling treatment of children he allows us a glimpse of the rage that remained bottled up over so many years by an entire nation.
His remarkably restrained rampage of vengeance is delivered with a blood curdling and disturbingly dispassionate disposition. The unmitigated horror which he and so many other black South Africans experienced is a powerful reminder of the past, which we all seem so desperate to resolve. Ntshinga, who performed in the initial production, directs with a unique understanding of the workshop process with which the play was created.
She has allowed this cast to stand solidly in their own individual interpretations, rather than merely repeating the original performances. It is not only the active moments of high drama in the play, but the equally intense containment of silence that she has used to elicit a visceral response. Even when each actor is not actively participating in the action on stage they are present in a visibly conscious way.
Earlier this year the Barney Simon retrospective season held at the UCT theatre complex affirmed Simon's place as one of South Africa’s most important theatre makers. Productions performed by the students included Cincinnati, Woza Albert and the brilliant Black Dog/Inj`emnyama. Born in the RSA premièred at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg in 1985 and it was with a strange sense of synchronicity that the cast flew to Grahamstown on the 20th anniversary of his death to open to full houses at the National Arts Festival. Simon had the ability to weave the stories of many different South Africans in one narrative. Born in the RSA is no exception and the roles played by oppressor and oppressed are seen not in isolation, but in a grim dance of fear, hate and misunderstanding.
The current run at The Baxter affirms his place as a playwright and theatre maker with the ability to make us look deeply at ourselves and our country.
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