Athol Fugard’s “Master Harold and the Boys” Returns with a Triumphant John Kani to The Geffen Playhouse

Nyasha Hatendi, Ben Beatty and John Kani star in the revival of Athol Fugard’s apartheid drama, “Master Harold and the Boys” at The Geffen

It’s been thirty-two years since the cruel South African system of apartheid fell. For most people over 50, we saw the fall first-hand, both on the news and on MTV, society’s hottest global platform at the time. What was left of the South African system of “separateness” teetered on the brink of collapse. Nelson Mandela, now a household name, was about to be elected president, as the world witnessed the effectiveness of global sanctions and boycotts by the global entertainment industries. Long before there was a glimmer of hope for South Africa, however, Athol Fugard’s near-autobiographical Master Harold and the Boys was being plucked from Yale Repertory for a New York run. The voice of the anti-apartheid movement made its Broadway debut to critical acclaim in 1982, and for the first time, the oppressive system was being displayed on the western stage. Master Harold and the Boys remains a celebrated masterwork in the annals of modern drama and is receiving a very faithful and prodigious revival at the Geffen Playhouse starring Tony Award-winning South African actor, playwright and long-time Athol Fugard collaborator, John Kani.

The play opens in 1950 at a rain-soaked St. George's Park Tea Room in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, where we first meet Sam (Kani) and Willie (Nyasha Hatendi), both long-time employees of the tea room. With Sam’s help, Willie is brushing up on his dance steps for a ballroom dance contest which is two weeks out. Coming in out of the rain is Hally (Ben Beatty), the tea room owner’s son, now just seventeen. These three have been a part of each other’s lives since Hally’s boyhood, but what begins with Hally stating, “we’re in for a nice quiet afternoon,” quickly turns challenging, and then dark. While leafing through Hally’s textbooks, Sam and Hally quickly fall into a rainy-day respite of wordplay, and reminiscence, illuminating their colorful past. Theirs is what can only be perceived as a long-term friendship, because who else besides long-term friends can discuss being physically beaten and caned as a sidebar joke? When Hally is reminded of a kite that Sam made for them earlier in his childhood, it calls into play their close and unconventional relationship to one another in a world in which such things are not accepted.

Fugard’s language is full of symbolism and vivid imagery, and what people perceive as “beautiful” is called into play throughout the evening. Within the construct of the dance contest, and the heightened joy between Sam and Willie, there is much within Fugard’s dialogue that points to Hally’s inability or flat-out refusal to see beauty. He seems right at home heading discussions on world leaders and supposed social reform, but when adopting the ballroom dance contest to complete a school assignment on “an annual event of cultural or historical significance,” he is incapable of seeing the contest as anything but simple, referring to it as “mentally retarded.” It is within Sam’s vision of the dance as a thing of beauty and perfection, something that brings people joy, where there is no room for “bumping into” others, that Fugard’s voice soars. Sam’s desire to live in a “world without collisions” is countered by the tension between Hally and his father, which later translates into tensions between the two old friends, and with some very painful physical actions on the part of the young Hally, who manages to weaponize his privilege, which he directs toward Sam, who in the end refuses to call him Master.

Ben Beatty and John Kani in the revival of Athol Fugard’s masterpiece, “Master Harold and the Boys” at the Geffen Playhouse through May 10th.

Ben Beatty’s Hally, hits some powerful notes in his Geffen debut, while Nyasha Hatendi’s Willie often tugs at the heart strings. Willie is the keen observer; making mistakes but eager to learn, and to be a participant, but guarded and led by his pride. Finally, John Kani’s triumphant portrayal of Sam is a thing of beauty, imbuing the passion and dignity of his people that transcends elegance; guiding Willie to master the dance and inviting Hally to do the same. Where Sam could have easily fallen into a ubiquitous trap of vitriol and hate, Kani, wrapped in humor, hope and grace, shows the depth of his life experience, raising his Sam high above the din. His spellbinding storytelling surrounding the magic of the ballroom dance and its jazz players will not soon be forgotten. Master Harold and the Boys, while known for its stinging language and situations, is often quite humorous, and ultimately leads to a highly charged emotional fade to black, putting to rest a wicked system of oppression that we would all be wise to keep safely burnt on the scrap heap of history. Ultimately, Master Harold and the Boys is a reminder that some are completely incapable of seeing themselves through a moral lens. In a world where oppression is allowed to exist, those same individuals will never be able to understand and experience beauty if they continue to refuse to immerse themselves in it. Master Harold and the Boys is a thing of beauty and deserves to be seen; immerse yourself, by all means possible.

Featuring an outstanding set design, by Beowulf Boritt, and powerful and faithful direction by long-time Athol Fugard collaborator, Emily Mann and The Geffen’s own Tarrell Alvin McCraney, Master Harold and the Boys breathes timely life into this important work of theatre. At least for this audience member, I left in tears of overwhelming respect both to Fugard’s masterful script, and the notion that the oppressed are often the first to extend the olive branch of forgiveness to their oppressor.

For tickets and more information, click here. Master Harold and the Boys, runs through May 10th at The Geffen Playhouse/Gil Cates Theatre, 10886 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles.