Apartheid tale features remarkable solo flight www.tucsoncitizen.com ®:
"Beowulf Alley Theatre is presenting Belinda Torrey as that multifaceted narrator in a production by the Tin Shed Theater of Patagonia, directed by Robert Johnson. Her performance is a remarkable solo flight that reminds us the policy of apartheid was a political construction. "
Apartheid tale features remarkable solo flight
CHUCK GRAHAM
Published: 12.13.2007
As the world sorts out its racial differences, stories such as "The Syringa Tree" resonate.
Pamela Gien of South Africa has written a compelling play about one girl's coming of age and loss of innocence during the last days of apartheid.
The construction of the play, as much as the story, gives "The Syringa Tree" its relevance. Gien developed it as a full-length theater piece in which one actor plays 24 characters. There are males and females, young and old, black and white.
The challenge for the actor is to give full range to all these characters as each one acquires a specific personality.
For the audience, transported to South Africa, the experience is like listening to a story of an important incident as told by the village storyteller.
Beowulf Alley Theatre is presenting Belinda Torrey as that multifaceted narrator in a production by the Tin Shed Theater of Patagonia, directed by Robert Johnson. Her performance is a remarkable solo flight that reminds us the policy of apartheid was a political construction.
During this time in South Africa there were many white people and many black people who genuinely cared for one another. Just as in Europe there were gentiles trying to save Jews from Hitler's persecution.
Because there are so many characters in Torrey's tale, it is a little difficult to follow, particularly in the first act as we sort out the sounds and mannerisms that go with each person. The stage set consists of a large white circle painted on the floor and a backdrop consisting of long strips of dyed cloth. A child's swing hangs in the center of the circle.
Torrey wears a simple, neutral-colored dress. She doesn't have any props. To imply a change of scene she slips behind those strips of cloth and comes back out a few seconds later. Occasionally some sound effects or a change in the lighting will add a new dimension.
Parts of Gien's story are autobiographical. The play begins with Elizabeth at age 6, sitting on that swing with her back to the audience. We follow her through adolescence and on to adulthood when she marries an American.
By birth Elizabeth is white, English and South African. Her father is a doctor. The family lives on a farm near Johannesburg. Her live-in nanny is Salamina, a black treated with respect as an essential part of the family.
To establish the setting, Elizabeth talks about her childhood, telling of incidents such as playing outdoors, getting all muddy and being washed off with a garden hose. We also learn that the homes of black servants don't have any plumbing.
There is a humorous visit from the church minister, a man so overweight he can barely fit into the family's nicest living room chair. Then a black child is born in the home and its presence is hidden from the authorities.
By the time Elizabeth is a teen there are anti-apartheid demonstrations in the streets. White people dare not visit the townships where black people live, particularly after dark. Having the correct identification papers is essential for everyone.
After intermission there are riots, demonstrations and raids as South Africa civilization flies apart. Violence touches Elizabeth's family as well, but in the end there is also resolution.
Grade: B
