Fugard at The Fugard

Fugard at the Fugard was a moving theatrical event. His latest (last?) play, The Train Driver, is a welcome recovery, and represents a kind of homecoming. It marks a return to the Eastern Cape location of much of his best work. The stark, spare setting (a desolate, sandy graveyard) is evocative, with its single, Godot-like tree and the rough graves in the foreground. Yet again we have two marginalised characters struggling to make some sense of their lives. This time around, though, the basic humanism often vested in Fugard’s women characters is articulated by Roelf, and suggested by the relationship that begins to develop between him and the Andile (a stunning performance by Owen Sejake). Sentimentality is almost entirely absent, and the dialogue is convincing. Echoes of earlier plays linger almost as a subtext. The theatre itself is wonderfully atmospheric. Long may the spirit of Fugard inhabit it.
Given the ticket prices, the audience was hardly representative of Cape Town’s diversity. (This is not just a minor quibble, in view of Fugard’s intimate relationship with township players and audiences.) One hopes that an effort will be made to offer some tickets at discounted prices (and not just on Tuesdays).