Your account does not include highlighter on images.
Searches Highlighted on Image
| July 11, 2014 Barnstable Patriot |  |
|
©
Publisher. All rights reserved. Upgrade to access Premium Tools
PAGE 15 (15 of 32 available) PREVIOUS NEXT Jumbo Image Save To Scrapbook Set Notifiers PDF JPG
July 11, 2014 |
|
|
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader 
|
Blood Knot's exquisitetruth
Monomoytakes
onapartheid
playinearnest
ByKathleen Szmit
kszmit@barnstablepatriot.com
SARAH SIERSZYN PHOTO
TIED TOGETHER - Jared Davis is Morris and Mbali Guliwe is Zacharia in
the Monomoy Theatre's exceptional production of Athol Fugard's Blood Knot,
now playing.
The
truth is rarely gentle,
but in Athol Fugard'sBlood
Knot it comes with all the
force of a tsunami, cleverly, des-
perately wrapped in apackageof
fragile hope and hazy memories.
In this instance, it is delivered
exceptionally by two incredibly
gifted actors of the Monomoy
Theatre in Chatham, actors so
finely enmeshed by their roles
they blur the lines of reality and
bring their audiences to tears.
Blood Knot tells the agoniz-
ing tale of two brothers living
in South Africa at the time of
apartheid. While that sounds
like enough struggle on its own,
Fugard has masterfully imbued
his story with more layers than
the skin of an onion.
The brothers in this harrowing
account may be related by blood,
but visually, thanks to their being
born to the same mother but fa-
thered by two different men, they
could not look more different.
Zacharia is as black as '
the
coal in a mine, while Morris is
so light he could pass for white,
somethinghe has done inlus past
before guilt rose in his soul like
bile, and spurred him to return
to the one-room shack in the
all-black section of an extremely
segregated Port Elizabeth, South
Africa circa 1961.
The layerskeep coming, layers
of shame and guilt, bottomless
angerthat resonates aspowerfully
asthunder, denial,and somehow,
though fragile as a moth's wing,
hope.
Theresult isaplay soextraordi-
nary, it leavesviewers speechless,
their faces wet with tears.
Bringing this exceptional dra-
ma to life are Jared Davis as
Morris and Mbali Guliwe as
Zacharia. Through their fervent
performances, we learn that
Morris has returned to the shack
after time away. While Morris
spends hisdays ensconced within
their careworn shack tidying and
preparing for his brother's return
after a hard day'slabor, Zacharia
is forced to work menialjobs that
leave him in pain physically and
spiritually.
The two hope to save enough
moneyto own a farmof their own
someday, but Zach is lonely and
longsfor the comfort of av\jpman.
Morris encourages him to reply
to a pen pal advertisement, only
to recoil in horror when he real-
izes that the ad was from a white
newspaper, and that the woman
with whom Zach is correspond-
ing is white.
This realization sets of a fire-
storm of revelations so cutting
it ro»_ks the brothers, and their
audiences, to their very core.
Finding the appropriate words
to describe the performances of
Davis and Guliwe is beyond
challenging, since few words
rise to the level of the ferocious
portrayals each delivers.
Davis perfectl y embodies
his character 's marked need
for atonement for his past sins
through his almost ritualistic
care for his brother, while also
unveiling his endless internal
battle between living an allegedly
comfortable lie, and suffering
through the hardest truth.
Also outstanding is Guliwe,
utterly believable and acutely
heartbreakingasthebitter,resent-
ful, conflicted , castigated, fright-
ened Zacharia, a man who walks
a fine line between his familial
loyaltyto hisbrother andhisdesire
to punishMorris for the difference
in his skin color and the potential
freedom it could allow him.
Together the duo is nearly
combustible, delivering the vari-
ous messages of the production
exquisitely.
Assisting Davis and Guliwe
in their efforts is scenic designer
Emmy Weldon, who has turned
trash into the treasure of an excel-
lent set, costume designer Natalia
de la Torre for her simple but
immensely effective pieces, and
to lighting designer Zach Weeks
for his haunting effects. Garrett
Hood also does an amazing job
with the eerie music, including
a soulful lullaby sung by Juwan
Crowley.
Heartfelt applause also to direc-
tor Shelley Delaney for taking on
such polemic material, and for
doing so with aplomb. Delaney
clearly realized the sensitive na-
ture of the play, but did not shy
away from its stark truths. The
result is truly riveting.
Be warned: though infused
with dark humor, Blood Knot is
far from a lighthearted evening
at the theatre. It is, however, a
story that must be told , for it is
only by facing the most pungent
truths that we may be free.
Blood Knotcan be seen at the Monomoy
Theatre,776 Main St. in Chatham,July
11and 12 at 8 p.m.Tickets are $28 and
may be reserved by calling 508-945-1589.
Events
CONTINUED FROM PAGEA&E:2
historians speak about their books,
adventures and travels.
Upcoming: • July 16: Barnstable'
s
First Settlement: 1638-1639, with
author Nancy Rubin Stuart; July 23:
"The Real Story Behind the Fiction,
"
with Barbara Epich Stuna,author of
The Old Cape House. More info at
508-771-5124.
? Literary Luncheon
Series
7lh Annual Author Literary Lunch
series,hosted byWhere the Sidewalk
Ends and held at the Wequassett
Resort on Pleasant Bay. Authors
dine with guests {beginning at noon)
and then give a talk following lunch.
Upcoming: July 17: Sue Miller { The
Arsonist); Lily King {Euphoria); Kim
Wright { The Unexpected Waltz). On
July 24: Michael Cunningham { Snow
Queen); Elizabeth Graver ( The End of
the Point); Patry Francis { Orphans of
Race Point).
For details or to RSVP
,visit http://
literaryluncheonse.wix.com/litreary-
luncheons
? Summer Fun
July 11and Fridays through Aug.
22:Enjoy a fun familytime at Hyannis
Public Library, 3 p.m., with stories,
crafts and activities. On July 18 see
ballerinas from Cape Cod Dance
Studios perform at the Mbrary, and_
listen to David Ira Rottcnberg read
his picture book , Gwendolyn, the
Graceful Pig. 508-775-2280.
? At the Ladies' Library
July 14-Aug. 16: The fab annual
Brewster Ladies' Library Book Sale
kicks off, with bargains and great
finds. Open during library hours.
508-896-3913.
July 15: Susan Baur presents her
9-year study of pond turtles on Cape
Cod,including underwater videos of
many brands of those wonderful,
ancient creatures. She's the author
of the children's series 77?e Turtle
Sisters of Cape Cod. 7 p.m.
July 15:Join the Brewster Ladies'
Libraryfor a discussion of Alice Hoff-
man's book Blackbird House, 1 p.m.
All welcome.
July 18: Juliet Grames, associate
publisher,and Paul Oliver,director of
marketing and puBlicity,Yoflf from
Soho Press,travel the world through
crime fiction as they discuss first
books in long-running series set in
countries across the globe,11a.m.
? Trees with knees?
July 16, Aug. 20: Naturalist and
author Virginia Sands reads from her
children's book, A Tree with a Knee,
11:30 a.m. at Cape Cod Museum of
Natural History,Route 6A, Brewster
(ages 4-9).
? Writers' Workshop
July18:West Dennis Library hosts
the 4th annual Writers' Workshop,
which includes family history writing
class, panel discussion, local author
guests and a presentation on elec-
tronic publishing.For more information
or to register, call 508-398-2050 or
email tturnei@clamsnet.org
? Books By the Sea
Signings at BBTS: July 19: Nancy
Scaglione-Peck will speak and sign
copies of her new book, TheAdventur-
ous Life of a Cape Cod Dog, 11 a.m.
The author is a high school science
teacher on Cape Cod and a naturalist
for the Dolphin Fleet Whale Watch in
Provincetown. All at Books By the
Sea, Main St., Osterville.
? Help for kids who
stutter
Several books and DVDs produced
bythe nonprofit Stuttering Foundation
are available free to public libraries.
Among these, a new DVD called
"Stuttering: For Kids By Kids,
" stars
kids who are struggling with the
disability themselves and are out to
CONTINUED ON PAGEA&E:4