‘Human Being Died’ is superb
Original drama set in South Africa provokes audience at Gamm premiere
Feinstein-Gamm Theatre production is ‘intense experience’
PAWTUCKET – The Sandra Feinstein Gamm is presenting the New England premiere of “A Human Being Died That Night,” and theatergoers who relish a thought provoking production definitely should not miss this one. Set in a South African prison, the drama is almost documentary in nature, dealing with real people and facts recounted in a book by Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, a black female psychologist who served on the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and her interviews with Eugene de Kock. De Kock is a white policeman who became head of a covert operation to discredit the African National Congress and its anti-apartheid activists. His brutal methods earned him the epithet Prime Evil and, in the post-apartheid era, two life sentences plus 212 years in prison. During testimony before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, however, de Kock asked to speak with the widows of three police officers killed in a bombing he had orchestrated. Gobodo-Madikizela was intrigued and took it upon herself to meet and talk with him about his crimes, which he admitted, and his motivations. The result, dramatized by playwright Nicholas Wright from Gobodo-Madikizela’s best-seller, is this 80-minute exploration of how a man becomes a monster, and in the aftermath, what roles remorse and forgiveness play. Often harrowing, repeatedly insightful, this play blends history and psychology in an engrossing way. It doesn’t pull at our emotions but rather leads us to understanding those of both the criminal and his interrogator, who vows from the start not to get emotionally involved – a self-discipline that stops the play from going down a single clichéd path. There are only two actors, Gamm newcomer Kortney Adams and Gamm regular Jim O’Brien, and they are brilliant. Adams embodies the turmoil of emotions Gobodo-Madikizela experiences as her initial nervousness progresses gradually to knowledge and compassion. She also does a remarkably consistent job with a South African accent, which seals the transformation into her character. Wendy Overly is the dialect coach. It’s hard to take your eyes off Adams – except to watch O’Brien in an equally authentic performance. He’s hard, inured to his past and his present, but also clear-eyed about the things he did and what drove him. Sentiment is not present in either portrayal, but humanity is. Director Judith Swift keeps a sharp eye on distances, both physical and emotional, between the two characters. At first they are stand-offish, separating their chairs and, in Pumla’s case, preparing for escape. Over time, those lines of demarcation relax, an astute reflection of the characters’ relationship. As rooted as it is in fact, this play is not just a history lesson; it is tale that could apply to many world events and, arguably, personal relationships. What seemed more intractable than South Africa’s entrenched system of apartheid? Yet by confronting truth, that country’s people approached reconciliation, an ever-evolving process. Moreover, at The Gamm, “A Human Being Died That Night” sets a benchmark for intense expe- rience, one to remember.
Performances of “A Human Being Died That Night” continue through April 1 at the Gamm Theatre, 172 Exchange St. Tickets are $44, $52 and $60; call (401) 7234266 or order online at gammtheatre.org.