One of the most exciting works of theater to be appearing on a Connecticut stage is at the intimate HartBeat Ensemble in Hartford. Their production of Athol Fugard’s My Children! My Africa! is passionately acted and resonates with themes and subject matter that, sadly, is still relevant today. Performances for this must-see show end Sunday, October 9.
The play was first produced in 1989 while South Africa was still under apartheid rule, where the all-white government enforced policies of racial segregation. This led to separate public facilities, housing, and education. It is under this backdrop that My Children! My Africa! begins.
We are introduced to three characters in the midst of closing arguments in a high school debate. Thami Mbikwan (Jelani Pitcher) is a Black student attending Zolile High School and Isabel Dyson (Brianna Joy Ford) is at Camdeboo High School, an all-white girls’ school. The referee is a disciplined, caring Camdeboo teacher known as Mr. M (Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr.).
After the debate, the two begin a tentative friendship. Isabel is outgoing and incessantly inquisitive. She is unthinkingly unaware of the world outside her privileged white environment and her understanding of the plight of Black South Africans. Thami, a star pupil who lives in The Location, a segregated area, is much more reserved in his feelings and with the information he chooses to share. He has also become less inclined towards school and more interested in the struggle of his people for racial equality.
The association between Isabel and Thami becomes more pronounced after Mr. M convinces the two to enter an inter-school English literature competition. Their interactions and training suddenly collapse as rebellious rumblings among the Black high school students take center stage. Quickly, and decisively, each character’s world, as they know it, changes forever.
The playwright Athol Fugard has eloquently and convulsively portrayed a time in South African history when apartheid still reigned throughout the land. He brings in themes of racial inequality, the limitation of educational opportunities and, most emphatically, the debate of violence vs. non-violence as a force for change.
He deftly dramatizes these topics without being didactic or preachy. Mr. Fugard also astutely furnishes each character with an expansive soliloquy that augments their background, motives, and helps push the plot forward.
The cast is superb. One of the best ensembles I have seen in years. The trio of performers are convincing in their roles as they modulate between introspection and outrage. Brianna Joy Ford imbues Isabel Dyson with a thirst for knowledge. She finely transitions from a somewhat dispassionate white South African, not really comprehending the upheaval beginning around her, to someone awakening to the plight of her Black countrymen. Jelani Pitcher’s portrayal of Thami Mbikwan, a young man racked with conflicting allegiances and sentiments, is assured and thought-provoking. He brings an intense quietude to the role as well as a forcefulness bubbling just under the surface. Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr. 's Mr. M, dutiful, proud of his calling to teach, and insistent on respect from his students, is a lightning rod for the dramatic underpinnings of the show. The actor provokes and regales as he infuses his character with a fervor and earnestness that is honorable. His enthusiasm for his craft is highly contagious. In the end, though, his dedication and old school approach prove disastrous.
Director Melanie Dreyer has powerfully and ardently brought the characters and story to life. There is a naturalism to the show that heightens the action on stage. In such a small performance space, movement and flow is important and the Director smoothly keeps the play from becoming too much of a static production. At some points, she skillfully maneuvers the actors around the environs like caged animals, waiting to pounce or seek flight from their untenable situation. Sometime iit can seem like the three performers emote too much, but Ms. Dreyer nimbly balances the need for highly expressive displays with more nuanced affectations.
The simple Scenic Design by Norm Johnson, Jr. and Lighting Design by Jon Paul-LaRocco is emblematic of the basic, no frills classroom of Camdeboo High School. The Sound Design by Ritz is limited, but effective when applied.
My Children! My Africa!, a show not to be missed. Playing through Sunday, October 9 at 2PM. Ticket information is at https://www.hartbeatensemble.org/. Masks required.
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