Drama

reviewed by Anthony Ward.

'That's the trouble with niggers — they all run scared of the Man'. James Baldwin's play is set in the Southern U.S. The blues is hatred and Mr. Charlie the whites.

The play centres on the murder of Richard Henry (played by Andrew Dungan), a negro recently returned to the town from New York trying to kick the needle, by Lyle Britten (Simon Wilson) a hard-up, violent shopkeeper. The story works from the murder to Lyle's eventual (and inevitable) acquittal by a white jury, with effective Hash-backs and the different viewpoints of the races explored along the way. The last has been well emphasised by producer Jeremy Jayasuriya's use of an elevated stage for white scenes and the floor for negro ones.

There are many fine performances. Vicky Yiannoutsos as Juanita Harmon is outstanding, and Kingi Morgan as Lorenzo Shannon and Sara Cotterall as Jo Britten are not far behind. The two key roles — of Lyle Britten and Parnell James (played by Ben Smith), the rich, white liberal caught between friends of both races - are not quite so well handled, the characters being presented unevenly. Beyond the individual actors, the general standard was high, though there were times, especially during the final trial scene, when the tension was allowed to dissipate. Technical effects were good.

Baldwin's play is set in a southern town and the attempts of the production to fit into this lead to the major criticism of the play. The blackened faces and affected accents give a divorced period atmosphere, which limits the drawing of parallels between the play and our own racial situation. The hypocrisy and cultural arrogance of the whites came through clearly - but more as a problem of one area than as a general issue facing western culture.

Rascism is far from being a simple issue, affecting and tainting in a variety of ways. From plays such as James Baldwin's Blues for Mr Charlie it is possible to gain a better insight into this problem. With the above qualifications, the Drama Society's competent and unpretencious production aids this insight considerably.

It's a good evening's theatre.