The Dead Wait

Still fresh on the arts scene, the Park Theatre presents The Dead Wait, a play inspired by Paul Herzberg’s experiences of being a conscript during the time of the Angolan war and set during the brutal South Africa of the 1980s.

The opening, a sequence of short monologues, is somewhat jumpy in structure, but the main plotline is quickly catalysed when South African soldier, Josh Gilmore, is ordered to carry injured freedom fighter George Jozana all the way to the Angolan Border.

Josh is an athlete trained to run the 100m at world record speed, but even he struggles to carry George the 50km through the Angolan bush, especially with his sadistic commanding officer, Papa Louw, at his side.

The journey is physically testing but naturally assumes a symbolic element, with Josh developing a growing awareness of his own social and cultural burden. It's fitting then that a considerable part of the play’s action consists of Josh carrying George – who has literally become the “white man’s burden” – across the stage.

However, with so much of the story dependent on the concept of journeying, Joe Harmston's production plateaus at its midpoint when we have watched Josh piggy-backing George across stage for the umpteenth time.

Conceptualised movement aside, the casting is spot on, especially in the case of Maynard Eziashi as George. He at once captures our affections with his impossibly light-hearted account of being maimed by shrapnel from a mortar attack. More impressive is his slow deterioration on stage; watching him weaken as his injury becomes gangrenous is utterly compelling.

The script contains some wonderfully poetic speeches and the cast use a technique of drawing attention to important moments through a push-pull emphasis on individual words. Unfortunately, though, the whole performance seems restricted for time; lines are rattled out with little time for reflection, and the character of Papa Louw pops on and off stage at a near-farcical rate. This is extended to Papa’s death which, due to the removal of his character’s stopwatch leitmotif, is over before we've had time to register it has occurred.

Although it's commendable that Snapdragon Productions have brought this neglected play to light, it's a pity that the version they present is too rushed to do it justice.

The Dead Wait continues at the Park Theatre until 1 December 2013