The fight for Josh’s soul. George Jozana (Maynard Eziashi) is carried by Josh Gilmore (Austin Hardiman) while Papa Louw (Paul Herzberg) reminds Josh who’s boss.
Play: The Dead Wait
Theatre: Park Theatre
Playwright: Paul Herzberg
Review by Joy Francis
South Africa’s troubling legacy of apartheid, and its largely secret role in the brutal Angolan war, underpins this gripping story of two men battling for the heart and mind of a young white athlete.
Set in 1989, South Africa’s ‘Great White Hope’ to break 10 seconds in the 100m private Josh Gilmore (an earnest Austin Hardiman) is conscripted to fight in the Angolan war under the fanatical Papa Louw (a menacing Herzberg). When they discover a seriously wounded black freedom fighter George Jozana, memorably played by Maynard Eziashi, Papa orders Josh to carry George 50 kilometres to the border for interrogation to find out what is in that “foul black mind”.
During the physically arduous five day trek, under sporadic mortar fire, Josh discovers that George speaks English and has a daughter, Lily (Adelayo Adedayo in her stage debut). Initially frustrated with the enforced intimacy, Josh doesn’t want to know him. But George is persistent. He assesses Josh, the war and his relationship with Papa. “He needs you to need him,” claims George. Before long the men form a touching father/son bond.
Their growing emotional closeness is continually threatened by Papa, a man who belittles the war as an “Angolan holiday” and despises Mandela and his “mob”. Sensing the growing connection between the two men, Papa is keen to preserve his own more sinister hold over Josh: “You won’t lose me troopie…ever.” Just 20 kilometres short of their destination, Papa forces Josh to do something horrifying – kill George.
After 20 years in exile Josh returns to his homeland to seek justice through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He confronts a destitute and alcoholic Papa and informs George’s daughter Lily of what happened in the bush, in line with her father’s dying wish. Although everything doesn’t go according to plan, Josh helps George’s wandering spirit to find peace.
South African born Paul Herzberg’s script is tight, unflinching and believable, which is no surprise as he was re-conscripted to fight in the Angolan war as a young man. You believe the wound in George’s leg is life threatening. When George is on Josh’s back, Josh’s shin splints feel real. When Papa hands Josh his gun to kill George, you are convinced Josh has no choice, a testament to the script, Joe Harmston’s effective direction and the impressive ensemble acting.
First staged in Manchester in 2002, the play has been rewritten twice to deal with the changes in modern South Africa. Yet this is where the play falters. It fails to match the emotional intensity, depth and range of when they are in the heart of the Angolan bush. There is too little time to find a dramatic resolution for the disparate strands, which leaves the dialogue feeling rushed; a set of monologues serving as vehicles for exposition.
Simon Scullion’s barren, granite-looking set (with its open grave) allows the audience’s attention to be placed firmly on the actors. The big story is about South Africa’s unsavoury role in the Angolan war, its scarred apartheid history and the dead wait for real change and justice. On a micro level, this is really a play about men, loss and identity, despite Adedayo’s restrained performance as George’s daughter Lily. Josh’s admission that his father is the only man he is scared of plays out with George and Papa as he fights to find his own voice.
Whether you are familiar with South Africa’s history, The Dead Wait is worth seeing for its originality and continued relevance.
The Dead Wait is at Park Theatre until Sunday 1 December 2013.