The Struggle Continues

(from offBroadway.com)
Athol Fugard’s The Train Driver traces the life of Roelf after the “accident”. It explores his emotions and his psychological journey as he attempts to cope with his predicament. The setting of the play is in a makeshift graveyard in South Africa. The stage is littered with empty bottles, plastic bags, and aluminum hubcaps. A huge wrecked car looms above the characters near stage right. Sand covers the stage and bits of glass and other debris are scattered haphazardly.

The play was performed at the Pershing Square Signature Center, a small theater with only a few hundred seats. The venue gave the play a very intimate touch, and the characters voices were crystal clear, although hard to understand at times due to a heavy accent.

The play begins with Simon, a black South African who acts as narrator of the story. His role is unique in that he has an active position in the production, but he also plays the part of the omniscient storyteller. His facial expression is very believable, and his diction is clear and authentic. He wore a light brown work suit that appeared dirty and old. Underneath the work suit, a stretched-out ratty t-shirt could be spotted. He was barefoot, and his face, chest, feet, and lower legs were covered in dirt. He seemed aged and his facial wrinkles appeared accentuated. He moved around the stage slowly and with much effort. His actions all seemed forced, and they gave the impression of a weary man, worn out by life’s hardships. Leon Addison Brown, who plays Simon, fit the part perfectly.

The protagonist of the play was Roelf, played by Ritchie Coster. A white South African train driver, Roelf must “come to grips” with the event that changed his life. His character emanates tones of anger and discontentment. He wears a dark red short sleeve polo shirt with tan pants. His sneakers look out of place. In contrast to Simon, he speaks much more aggressively and louder, and his words are spat, as if his words are venom. Often times, Roelf gets so worked up in his tirades that the audience is able to see spittle spray from his mouth as he shouts. Roelf’s anger is directed at the “Red Doek”, who the audience understands to be the cause of his anguish. Simon is often the target for Roelf’s rage as he is the only other character in the play.

The sound effects are subtle throughout much of the play. The howling of dogs can be heard at night as can the whistling of the wind. The most dramatic effect occurs towards the end of the play, as Reolf attempts to bury the figuratively the native woman and her child. The sound of a freight train rushes through the theater, and the blaring of the train’s horn is haunting. The audience feels the harrowing effect of the collision through the sounds, and the actual collision is not depicted on stage.
The plays’ ending is certainly a little twist. The audience expects some type of closure; that Roelf and Simon will grow to understand each other. The ending seems to symbolize the ongoing struggle of South Africans in growing as a people. It suggests that much work still is needed to overcome the remnants of apartheid.

(by Luke O’Dowd)