Young Critics

Can friendship and integrity overcome the influence of society? This is the question posed by Athol Fugard’s Master Harold and the Boys. (Delaware Theatre Company, October 15-November 2). The play takes place in apartheid-era South Africa, a place and time where racism was both an ordinary event and government-sanctioned. Throughout the show, the three main characters, Hally, a young white schoolboy, and his black friends who work in his mother’s tea room, Sam, and Willie, struggle with this concept.

Though I had heard that Master Harold and the Boys was a powerful show, I was completely caught off-guard by the impact the play had on me. I entered the theatre that night confident that I was going to see a good play, and I left confident that I had seen a great one. Every aspect of the production – from the writing to the characters to the sets and lights – made me feel as though I was looking in on a scene in someone’s world, a diary page sprung to life.

In the moments before the play began, I had time to admire the set. The play takes place with only three characters in one room, a 1950s tea room. This tea room was spectacular. There was no painted backdrop behind the furniture. Instead, the set consisted of tables, chairs, and a long countertop against a standard blue background. In one corner was a jukebox, and behind the counter was a cash register station. A wide window of frosted glass sat behind the counter with the name of the tea room. The door, too, was made of frosted glass. However, what made this set remarkable was not any of these things. What made this set extraordinary was the rain. The entire play takes place one rainy afternoon, so the designer, Michael Philippi, created real rain behind the set. Water poured from the rafters, dripping down on the windows, creating streaks and the familiar pitter-patter sound which accompanies it. Mr. Philippi also helped form the mood of the play with his subtle but effective lighting. Whenever a memory was recalled, the warm light of the set changed to a shining, clear light, singling out the speaker. Similarly, when Hally hears terrible news from his mother on the telephone, the lights dimmed gradually until he was standing in a bright spotlight, the rest of the set submerged in semi-darkness. This phone call, a pivotal point in the show, was clearly emphasized by Mr. Phillipi’s unique lighting technique.

The sound effects by Fabian Obispo were fantastic. Each time the door was opened, the sound of the rain changed as it does in real life. The music Willie plays from the jukebox did not have the muffled quality that stage sounds sometimes have. The only lacking sound effect was the ring of the telephone, which was not realistically shrill enough. It broke my concentration and I was reminded of my surroundings until I was once more lost in the plot.

Before the show, I found out that Athol Fugard wrote Master Harold and the Boys as a semi-autobiographical play of his life. This is revealed in the passion and emotion evoked in the play. As someone who usually prefers lighthearted musicals, I changed my opinion because of the beautiful writing of the play. Fugard’s honest characters and dialogue opened me up to a whole new theatre experience. In the future, I will be more open to plays of this dramatic nature, now that I have seen just how moving and powerful a play like Master Harold and the Boys can be. Fugard brought vision and sincerity to a difficult subject, not only creating a fantastic stage production, but crafting a beautiful literary piece as well.

Though the script, the sets, lights, and sounds were excellently executed, it was the superior acting which made Master Harold and the Boys a truly unforgettable experience. Hally, a young boy torn between his white supremacist surroundings and his love for his two black friends Sam and Willie, was acted incredibly by Seamus Mulcahy. While Sam delivers a fervent lecture, Hally does not have any lines at all, and this is where Seamus truly shined. It takes true skill to be able to keep the audience’s attention with absolutely no dialogue. Hally’s expression revealed his arrogance as a white teenager in apartheid-era South Africa, but slowly disintegrated to the wounded, shamed boy he was. Sam, played by DJ Howard, delivers this lecture with conviction, touching the hearts of everyone in the audience. I felt the pain and the dignity of Sam through his words. Willie, who was not a central part in the exchange between Sam and Hally, was still a memorable actor. In the background, Kenajuan Bentley phased through hardened pain to passionate tears as Sam spoke. All three of the actors delivered incredible performances in this scene and throughout the play, truly bringing Fugard’s vision to life.

In the beginning of the program, the director, Richard Corley, says that he was unsure of how this play, set in the apartheid era of South Africa, would “still resonate with today’s audiences.” However, he did an excellent job overcoming this obstacle. He created a play that allowed the audience to become fully submerged in the plotline, with no reminders of the outside world. It was as if the audience was watching the play during the 1950s, not 2008.

Though this play takes place in the 1950s, it touched me and I am confident in saying that it will touch all audiences. The characters are instantly appealing and the actors gave honest performances, accentuating Fugard’s work. The play itself is a literary gem, and the set elements and directing made the experience all the more memorable with creative effects – like the rain – that I had never seen done before. What struck me about Master Harold and the Boys were not the surface elements of the play, but the underlying message of the battle between prejudice and love. This message – now, fifty years ago, or fifty years in the future – will always be relevant.