"MASTER HAROLD"...and the Boys

A Review by Maren Lavelle
Cab Calloway School of the Arts

Black skin dances with white in this impacting story that takes place during apartheid in South Africa.  The Delaware Theater Company’s production of “Master Harold”…and the Boys gives you an outside look onto what the lives of South Africans were like in the 1950’s.  The introduction of the interactions between a young white man and two black servants that work for his family gives you insight to the relationships that might have taken place during that time.  Its realistic story line let me relate with the characters and understand the difficulties taking place.

The stage lights up with two black men cleaning up the St. George’s Park Tea Room on a wet and rainy day. Sam is behind the counter reading a book while next to the jukebox Willie whistles a tune as he scrubs the floor. The men begin a conversation about ballroom dancing and get into an argument about form and “romancing” while dancing. Sam’s character, acted by DJ Howard, is developed from the beginning. Willie asks Sam to critique his dancing, showing that people look up to Sam for information. Sam also makes fun of Willie, who is acted by Kenajuan Bentley, and plays with his mind, portraying his humorous side.  As the rain pours from outside, in walks Hally, a young white man, coming from school. The relationship between Sam and Hally is distinguished immediately as they get into an amusing discussion about academics and the condition of the outside world. The discussion changes many times from academics to memories to their ideas of the world around them, and back to academics. This change in topic leads to many different emotions being portrayed by the characters which kept me interested in the play.

The actor Seamus Mulcahy captures the essence of his character Hally flawlessly. Hally is very opinionated, but also unsure of himself and what things to say and do. He changes his mind and his mood quickly. One minute he’s joking and having fun with the black servants, the next he’s treating them as if they are inferior because of their skin. Mulcahy gave spark to Hally’s childish and immature ways. The costume designer, Murell Horton shows the difference in social standing between Hally and Sam and Willie. While Sam and Willie are wearing their serving uniforms, Hally is dressed with nice fine clothes, long trousers and a school blazer. Because of his fine clothes and white skin, Hally sometimes hides behind that and treats the servants like dogs, despite the fact that he is much younger than them and was just treating them like his best friends.

The relationships between the characters are very interesting. Sam and Willie have a very fun and comfortable relationship with each other. Willie and Hally have more of a relationship between a master and his servant, even though they have fun together. Sam and Hally have a special relationship. Sometimes Hally treats Sam as a servant, but often Sam is Hally’s best friend, and other times they have a relationship like that of a father and son. Sam really cares for Hally, knowing that his father isn’t always around, and wants him to be the best person he can be. Sam wants him to be proud of himself.

The lighting, designed by Michael Philippi, played a big role in this production, isolating Hally when he was on the phone with his mother. Hally would get a call from his mother, usually bringing bad news and the dim lighting during his conversations helped set the distressed mood. Fabian Obispo’s use of the rain sound effects were present throughout the entire production, the intensity of it increasing every time the door leading outside was opened. The use of props was very intriguing. Every prop that was used fit very well with what was going on and seemed to be a natural thing that would be present. The moments where Willie and Sam were practicing their ballroom dancing (choreographed by Samantha Bellomo) were charming. The staging and movement also seemed natural. Anytime somebody moved around on stage, they moved to a place that was practical, or the movements they made related with what was being said. All of the characters and actions were viewable from every angle of the audience. Being a member of the audience you don’t miss a thing, which helps draw you in during the play. It kept me in the moment and loving every second of the production. The whole audience is so drawn in that if a character smiles, you smile. If a character cries, you may cry. If a character gasps, you gasp with them, just as surprised as they were.

This play is not a long one, it began at 8pm and I was out of the theater by 9:30pm.  Although it is shorter, some of the parts of the play felt as if they were dragging along somewhat, but each actor did a marvelous job at energizing each part which helped speed it along. The acting in “Master Harold”... and the Boys was amazing.  The actors made me feel what the characters were feeling. If Hally, Sam, and Willie were having a good time, I was laughing and enjoying their amusement. If the tension built between Hally and Sam, I felt it. When Hally received upsetting news about his father, I felt bad for him. The performances by each actor were not only believable, but enjoyable.

Back