Review: Born in the RSA; Hilton Arts Festival: Grindrod Bank Theatre

THEATRE legend, Barney Simon, created productions of such power that, decades later, they continue to resonate with audiences as I witnessed this morning watching Born in the RSA, surrounded by high school pupils at the Hilton Arts Festival.

South Africa’s born-free generation were not even thought of when Simon and his 1985 cast – Fiona Ramsay, Terry Norton, Vanessa Cooke, Neil McCarthy, Timmy Kwebulana, Thoko Ntshinga and Gcina Mlhope – created this dramatic work.

South Africa is a different place today, but the stories told on stage cannot help but make you think, and invoke feelings ranging from anger and despair to empathy and even joy.

Ntshinga, who performed the role of Thenjiwe, in the original production, directs the revival which plays out on a minimalist set made up of simple wooden stages and screens covered in newspapers, a single chair and two blankets.

It opens with a monologue by a white activist lawyer, Mia Steinman (Emily Child), who has grown up in a family who has fought for an end to apartheid and dreams of a country where children are not gunned down in the street by young white men dragooned into the armed forces by a paranoid government.

She is friends with dynamic black activist and trade unionist, Thenjiwe Bono (Faniswa Yisa), who has been a target of the special branch for years; and a young white artist, Susan Lang (Joanna Evans). But their lives are about to be turned upside down and those of their friends and family too – thanks to one man’s duplicity.

Glen Donahue (Francis Chouler) is a tall, handsome student, whose charm has women falling for him left, right and centre. Although he claims to be politically neutral it certainly doesn’t take too much arm twisting for him to turn state spy.

Despite being married to Nicky (Roeline Daneel), and the father of their son, Dominic, he sets out to seduce Susan. Through her he meets Thengiwe and other activists and – despite some regrets about losing Susan – he hands his masters the information they need to arrest and detain members of the group.

Susan remains unaware of his duplicity, however, until they come face-to-face at her trial and he reveals he is a Warrant Officer in the SAPS.

In prison both Susan and Thenjiwe are subjected to physical mental abuse in an effort to make them crack and give the police the information they want. And outside John Vorster Square Thenjiwe’s family is targeted. Her 10-year-old nephew is arrested on trumped up charges and held for over three months, traumatising her sister Sindiswa (Zanele Radu) and musician friend, Zacharia Melani (Dobs Madotyeni).

Each of the actors delivers a perfectly judged performance, offering an insight into the effects that apartheid’s rules and regulations had on the lives of ordinary people.

White middle class women, like Nicky, heard through their domestic workers about what was happening in the townships but chose to ignore it and to quote Nicky, ‘watch videos and smoke weed’ as they didn’t want to be depressed.

Then, there is pain and anger that grows within Zac and Sindiswa as they see what is happening to Thenjiwe and Sindiswa’s son, and to the unnamed thousands of people in South Africa under the draconian conditions of the state of emergency. Sindiswa, who has always shied away from politics, find her desire for revenge grow, as does Zac, who has a fantasy about smashing in the skulls of little white girls at a school when he sees the effect of jail on little boy he has grown to love.

Born in the RSA is quite simply riveting theatre and I urge you to watch this play if you are at the Hilton Arts Festival or if it comes to your town or city on tour.

Estelle Sinkins

Born in RSA can be seen in the Grindrod Bank Theatre at the Hilton Arts Festival at 11.30 am on Saturday, September 19 and 1 pm on Sunday, September 20. Tickets for the festival are available at http://www.hiltonfestival.co.za