Young Critics

The realization of differences test the relationships in the Delaware Theatre Company’s production of “Master Harold”. . .and the Boys. Athol Fugard’s work set in the South African apartheid pulls at the heartstrings, while causing your brain’s cogs to start turning. The play’s message and overall performance made me think. I found myself wanting more after the show was over.

What seems to be a simple tea shop in a South African town on an ordinary afternoon turns into something totally different. The rain outside of the tea room spatters the windows. The simply dressed employees are prepared for little business and so is the shop. The tables are stacked up on one side of the room, with only one out and ready to be set. The lights are bright, as a shop should be, inviting you into the intimate tea room.

As you get introduced to the characters you find out the real basis of the story. Willie, the bus boy, is preparing for a dancing contest. Sam, the maître d', is helping him practice. They both work in the tea shop which is owned and run buy Harold’s parents. Harold is an adolescent boy who has known Sam and Willie all of his life, because they have served and been in his life as long as he can remember. Throughout the play the three reminisce about the good times they’ve shared only to be snapped back into the very real present. The play chronicles this one eventful afternoon.

The play’s plot would be simple enough if weren’t set during the South African apartheid. Sam and Willie are both black and Harold, affectionately called Hally by Sam, is white. His color being superior to theirs causes a tension throughout the show that is not only observed by the audience, but is felt by them too. The play focuses on our collisions in life due to our lack of acceptance. The characters are continually “bumping into” each other all through the play. This theme is important because real life is full of collisions, literally and figuratively.

The actors in the show were outstanding. Being that there are only three characters in the show the actors had to work harder to tell the story. Seamus Mulcahy portrayed the role of Hally very well. I immediately connected with his character, not only because of his age, but because of the way he phrased his lines. It wasn’t as if he was acting, but it was honestly like he was Hally. Sam, played by DJ Howard, was another character I immediately connected with. His patriarchal tone throughout the show was very well done and he reminded me of a favorite uncle. Kenajuan Bentley’s portrayal of Willie kept the show in good spirits even when tensions between Sam and Hally were high. All in all the cast seemed very true to their characters. I almost felt like I was in the tea shop.

The whole show was a job well done. The sets and lighting, thanks to Michael Philippi, worked well together. The set was simple, but it wasn’t bear. The realness of the shop was pleasing to the eye and the imagination. It was almost as if you could walk up to the stage and actually ask for a cup of tea. The spotlights, instead of just pointing out to you that you should pay attention, actually drew you closer to the characters. But my favorite feature of the set had to be the rain. Its quiet and constant rhythm kept me focused on the show. The costumes also played into the simplicity of the set, creating a uniformity that gave the show a natural quality. I think director Richard Corley did a great job making sure that Fugard’s “Master Harold” . . .and the Boys was well delivered. And because of that I will always remember to walk away from the segregated bench.