South Africa through the Prism: Festival in Grahamstown, 1996

Abstract

Asian-American plays. But the National Asian American Theatre didn't do so well with the Irish classics, The Gaol Gate and Purgatory. The Irish Rep, however, was in its element with revivals of O'Casey's Juno and the Paycock and Murphy's A Whistle in the Dark. David Mamet strangely staged J. B. Priestley's Dangerous Corner for the Atlantic Theatre. Clifford Williams directed Richard Nelson's version of Strindberg's The Father for the Roundabout as an anti-feminist tract-which may be reductionist. The Jean Cocteau Rep celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary with a magical Orphee, a forceful Major Barbara, a laboured Lady from the Sea-and a delightful Tartuffe which outclassed Circle-in-the-Square's costly reworking, Tartuffe: Born Again, set in a religious TV broadcasting studio, with smarmy overtones of the fundamentalist minister, Pat Robertson. Lavish sets and costumes distinguished the hit Broadway revivals of The King and I-originally designed and used in Australia-and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, with Nathan Lane as Zero Mostel. Carol Charmingwho insists she has played the role over 4,500 times-was back with a road-show mounting of Hello, Dolly! And the Roundabout revived Sondheim's Company, which failed to transfer. Other off-Broadway revivals included the seasonal