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"Master Harold"...and the boys
by The Westminster Players
It’s one thing to
create a fictional character who must face his mistakes, weaknesses, and
regrets. Playwright Athol Fugard faces his own in “Master Harold”…and
the boys. Inspired, and haunted, by his own treatment of black servants in
his youth, he wove this play around a powerful incident in his own life.
The group from The Westminster Players
left Atlanta, Georgia and went out to Fugard’s home in Del Mar, California to
talk firsthand about the background on the play, his experiences with the two
former servants on which the play is based, and interview him about his goals as
a playwright – video clips from which preceded their show.
The
show itself builds the tension slowly as young Hally enters St. George’s Park
Tea Room to find the forty-something Sam teaching the younger Willie how to
dance. It quickly becomes clear that Hally sees Sam as sort of a father figure,
someone he truly cared for growing up. They share a strong memory of Sam making
him a kite and teaching him how to fly it, Hally recalling the disappointment
when Sam mysteriously left him alone to fly it, the thrill of seeing and feeling
the kite whipping about in the air like a living thing, the sadness when he
finally brought it down, lying on the ground like a thing that had lost its
soul.
But a few statements here and there give
you glimpses into a cruel, juvenile superiority he feels towards the servants,
and the disrespect and hostility he feels towards his parents, yelling at his
mother and detesting the idea of bringing back home his crippled father from the
hospital. As the conversation turns from light philosophical musings to
disagreements about how Haley treats his parents, the ugly side of Hally comes
out more and more, and you know the relationship between Hally and Sam is in
jeopardy.
James
Franch, an eighth grader
from Westminster Junior High, is Hally, doing a very nice job as the petulant
young man lashing out at the people he loves. His temper, unresolved hurts, and
perhaps a lack of self-confidence beginning to override the more amiable side we
see he is capable of. You sense the internal struggles, but are disgusted by his
growing hostility towards and humiliation of Willie and Sam.
Omar
Ingram
is Willie, the younger, easier target for Halley, who takes the humiliations,
including the spanking with a stick, with quiet acquiescence that this is just
the way it is, and he must endure it politely. Hampton Fluker is Sam,
giving a riveting performance as the fatherly, mature figure in the play who
tries to gently help the immature Hally from being his own worst enemy by
tearing apart his relationship with the people who love him. Hampton always
seems to be thinking before he speaks, cautiously and realistically trying to
lead Hally away from the brink, trying different tactics, desperate both for
Hally’s soul and his own. You feel his desperation begin to border on despair
as the verbal exchange spirals out of his control and as Hally lies on the brink
of forever becoming Master Harold.
Performed June 25, 2008.
Rob Hopper
Executive Director
National Youth Theatre
~ Cast ~
Hally: James Franch
Sam: Hampton Fluker
Willie: Omar Ingram
Director: Eric Brannen
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