An old, somewhat cantankerous man
wanders about a room beset by shadows from the past. He thumbs through journals
he has kept for decades. Nothing but shadows. The one bright light in his
rather drear days is his grandson, who visits him on a regular basis. The
grandfather imparts wisdom, the grandson struggles to understand. Finally it is
a shadow, “The Shadow of a Hummingbird,” that unites them. Such is the plot of
Athol Fugard’s somewhat lightweight play receiving its world premiere at Long
Wharf Theatre.
Directed by Gordon Edelstein, the
theater’s artistic director, and starring the playwright himself, “Hummingbird”
has the feel of a short story. It runs slightly under an hour, and a good chunk
of that is taken up by Fugard’s character, Oupa, reading from said journals,
this material written by Paula Fourie using extracts from Fugard’s unpublished
journals. This padding – for that is what it is – seems to go on for just a bit
too long, primarily because there doesn’t seem to be a connection between what
Oupa reads as he samples jottings made over the decades. The play’s first five
or 10 minutes has more the feel of a reading by an author dipping into his
selected works, the tone being set by the first “reading,” which consists
primarily of a very long list of birds – 29 to be exact – that Oupa sighted
over two summers some 25 years ago. The point? Not sure.
Athol Fugard and Aidan McMillan.
Whatever dramatic tension the play
contains is generated by the relationship between Oupa and his 10-year-old
grandson, Boba, played alternately by Aidan and Dermot McMillan. The boy visits
his grandfather despite the wishes of Boba’s father (Oupa’s son who, Oupa
firmly believes, is an idiot). It is during one of these visits that the
grandfather attempts to instruct his grandson about illusion and reality
through use of Plato’s allegory of the cave. The boy doesn’t think much of the
story and after a bit of a sulk, Oupa grudgingly agrees with him. However, the
lesson is not over, for Oupa shifts gears and turns to William Blake, quoting
the first four lines of the poet’s “To See Wonder…” to hopefully enlighten the
boy (and remind himself) about the nature of innocence and the price one pays
when it is lost.
The lessons taught, and the
interaction between the generations, is pleasant enough to watch, though it all
leads to a somewhat inevitable conclusion. Fugard gives the audience an
engaging, somewhat Brechtian, Oupa, a proud man battling against the ravages of
time, and interacts well with McMillan. However, one can’t help but wonder why
Long Wharf, which admittedly has a long relationship with Fugard, decided
to produce this rather slight effort by a playwright who has given the world
such multi-dimensional, emotionally charged dramas as “Sizwe Bansi is Dead” and
“’Master Harold’…and the Boys.” “Hummingbird” is pleasant enough, but there’s
not much there to chew on and what there is seems, at moments, a bit didactic.
The primary point of interest in
this production of “Hummingbird” is the opportunity to see a playwright bring
his own words to life. The old legal warning – “Never try to be your own
lawyer” – does not here apply. Fugard ably proves that you can be the star of
your own play.
“The Shadow of the Hummingbird”
runs through April 27. For tickets or more information call 203-787-4282 or go
to www.longwharf.org.
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