South African socio-politics wrapped in art and brought to life with great performances all round.
Linda Basset's performance in Athol Fugard's The Road to Mecca, currently playing at Arcola Theatre, has been eagerly anticipated – mostly by me. You'll recognise her from East is East, Lark Rise to Candleford and a bunch of other well received supporting TV and film roles, but she hasn't graced the London stage with her presence for a few years; and there are few better plays for her to return with.
Fugard's story of Miss Helen, an elderly outcast in her village, manipulated into relocating to an old folks' home is a touching look at a community's priorities and responsibilities. Basset's Helen is a seemingly weak old woman, living the secluded life of an artist on the fringe of society. Mocked by adults and feared by children, she is the batty old lady in every neighbourhood. Her artistic energy and free spirit are only realised by her idealistic young friend Elsa. Inspired by the existence of a solitary sculptor and an eager young social worker, in a village near his home, Fugard has laid out in his script the views of a religious Afrikaans community when faced with such a character.
His chief triumph and one of the best things about director Russell Bolam's production is Elsa. An engaging performance from Sian Clifford as Helen's strong, opinionated young friend is what makes the audience sit up and listen. Her ability to convey Elsa's flaws alongside her good intentions reminds us that it takes a strong character to love an outcast. Her pairing with Basset makes the first fifty minutes fly by and a lag in the middle is saved by the introduction of the smarmy church leader Marius. Successfully avoiding the trap of playing Marius one-dimensionally, James Laurenson's portrayal of the pastor has his audience confused, constantly shifting camps unable to decide how genuine his intentions are.
However, Bolam's production lacks atmosphere. His audience is drawn to the dialogue thanks to great acting but the Karoo dessert, arguably a character in itself in the script, is neglected on stage. We are often reminded of the silence of the dessert but this also reminds us we're in a theatre. But, to the credit of lighting designer David Holmes and designer Ruth Hall, Miss Helen's home is beautifully lit to reflect her fear of darkness and imbued with the right amount of quirky artistry to hint at the stunning sculptures that we rightly never see. Fugard allows descriptions Helen's absent art to fuse the moral and the artistic – complimented by Elsa's light references to the likes of Camus and Balzac, he's able to get at a kernel of social conscious without getting overly heavy.
Arcola Theatre continues to salute great writers with flair and The Road to Mecca and Coming Home are both brilliantly acted and well worth seeing.
The Road to Mecca runs at Arcola Theatre until 10th July
Photo Credit: Idil Sukan
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