[ad_1]
“Blood Knot” is a parable of two bothers sharing a one-room shack near the “colored” section of Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Zach is dark-skinned. Morris is light-skinned enough that he can “pass” as white. They’re saving money to buy a farm and retire; Morris does the cooking and cleaning, while Zach earns money for them both.
When Morris joins a lonely hearts club on his brother’s behalf, they find themselves awaiting the visit of a white woman.
The Vortex Theatre will open “Blood Knot,” by the South African playwright Athol Fugard on Oct. 21. The play runs on weekends through Nov. 13.
Director James Cady first learned about the play four years ago.
“I read it on an airplane,” he said. “I said, ‘This is exciting, this touches my heart.’ ”
“Same mother; different fathers,” he said. “Therein lies the conflict of the play itself. It deals with the fact that they have the same mother; they don’t have the same skin.”
The play focuses a microscope on living in a world of racism.
When Zach discovers his pen pal girlfriend is white, Morris tries to warns him the relationship can only mean trouble. Mixing of the races is illegal in Apartheid-ruled South Africa.
Morris’ fears are soon realized when Zach’s pen pal writes to say she is coming to visit.
“So Zach suggests Morris meet Ethel,” Cady said.
Zach must face the tragic truth that he can never build a future with her, that she can never love him and that she would be horrified to discover who he really is.
“It’s seven scenes of conflict after conflict after conflict,” Cady said.
The play stars Marcus Ivey (“The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter,” “References to Salvador Dali”) as Zach; and Matthew Van Wettering (“The Real Thing,” “All My Sons”) as Morris.”Blood Knot” premiered in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1962 and on Broadway in 1986. It was most recently performed in Johannesburg in 2010 as part of Mandela Day celebrations.
[ad_2]
Source link