"'Master Harold'...and the Boys"

Those who are satisfied with today's race relations and who perceive the 21st century as leaps and bounds ahead of our racist past should disregard the TinFish and Blue Heron Theatres' production of "'Master Harold'….and the Boys" as too thought- provoking.

A Play Review by Brian Murphy

However, if the words, "Brownie's doin' a heck of a job" evoke anger, this examination of the roots of oppression will probably be appealing not only as a condemnation of apartheid circa 1950s South Africa, but as a reflection of the present world as a whole.

Before Nelson Mandela was freed from prison, Athol Fugard's play, published in 1982, was banned by the South African Publication Control Board, which found the play to be, "indecent, obscene, immoral and offensive to public morals." Mr. Fugard wrote the play in response to his experiences growing up under the fist of oppression, and his work poses moral and ethical questions while exposing injustices.

"'Master Harold'… and the Boys" presents the story of Willy (Howard White) and Sam (Darren M. Jones), two black African men who are employed at a rural South African diner by the parents of Hally (Dustin Ayers). Despite the obvious difference in race, the distinction between the men can be seen in the black men's black-and-white servers' uniforms and aprons and Hally's khaki pants and blue, buttoned-down shirt. However, we quickly see that the men share a bond seemingly unlimited by race. Willy and Sam have been servants for Hally's family since he was a boy, and, from the first act, their friendship seems strong.

As the play unfolds, we witness the dissolution of this friendship, and the rise in racial tensions among the three. Hally's alcoholic father is ready to come home from the hospital, and the emotional scarring he has caused Hally boils to the surface. The angrier Hally becomes, the more bigoted he behaves.

Mr. Fugard explores the nature of oppression, and – through his depiction of the transformation of Hally – how some people need to injure and tear down others in order to build themselves up. Hally's former innocent, liberal, self is suffocated by his inability to stand up to his father. As Sam tries to offer advice to Hally, the latter begins to order the black men around, degrading them and even spitting on his former friend. Hally eventually demands that the men call him "Master Harold," defining their subservience once and for all.

Director Dejan Avramovich faithfully delivers Mr. Fugard's work as a sparse, uncomplicated production. The lighting is appropriate. The play takes place in one setting, the lone set construction (by designer Erich Muhammed), consisting of three perspective-altering stools, a pastry counter, a table, and a velvet-covered jukebox.

The performances are impressive as well. Harold White is convincing as the uneducated Willy, a ballroom dancer who takes his anger at society out on his girlfriend. Dustin Ayers' performance is an emotional fireball that builds throughout the play. Darren Jones is a revelation, and his portrayal of Sam emits intelligence, wit, passion and moral righteousness. Sam's anger is a product of both pride and the desire not to lose his lifelong friend, and Jones embodies Sam with a penetrating force.

Another Review for your reading pleasure!!

"MASTER HAROLD" . . . AND THE BOYS Set in apartheid South Africa, Athol Fugard's drama reveals the coming-of-age of both a privileged white teenager and his nation. When Master Harold sacrifices his surrogate father, the black servant who raised him, for the biological father who's abused him, you see how racism severs its victims not only from others' humanity but from their own. In Blue Heron Theatre's promising debut, director Dejan Avramovich misses the accents but drives home the decency, both lost and found, in Fugard's immensely rich 90-minute play. Darren M. Jones's paternal Sam combines dignity and effortless warmth, Howard L. White is feisty as the other servant, and Dustin Ayers's monumentally conflicted Harold exposes the thwarted idealism behind so much adolescent rebellion. --Lawrence Bommer Through 6/4: Fri-Sat 8 PM, Sun 3 PM, Fleetwood-Jourdain Park, Family Focus Theatre Building, 2010 Dewey, Evanston, 847-392-0226, $15-$18.