Review: DEATH OF A UNION LEADER at Artscape Arena

Louis Viljoen is a playwright who uses words like a composer: meaning is conveyed as much by the structure of the words as by the words themselves. DEATH OF A UNION LEADER is a prime example of this artistry. The play looks at the aftermath of a violent union strike in an unnamed “decaying city” as the chairman of The Company and his vicious, ambitious daughter scramble to maintain his kingdom by striking deals with The Party and The Union.

The details of the plot and characters are less important than the verbal power battles they inspire, but no less intricate. That is the huge demand that Viljoen the composer (writer) and conductor (director) places on his performers: to balance and blend all of these elements and fully surrender as instruments of the composition. John Maytham and Sizwesandile Mnisi play their parts with something close to magic, while Emma Kotze and Carl Beukes are plausible but their characterisations are occasionally overwhelmed by the demands of the language.

The man of The Company and the man of the Union are both acutely affected by the events of the play in equal but very different ways, and the performances of Maytham and Mnisi convey this affectation articulately. The daughter (Kotze) and the political operator (Beukes) are more stoic characters who closely guard their reactions, but there were still times I felt both actors were relying too heavily on the words to carry their performance.

Those words were unquestionably the star of the show, though. Viljoen uses his instruments to address issues of sex and violence, loyalty and love, power and politics both directly and indirectly. He dexterously deploys moments of sharp wit and lines of unapologetic vulgarity that would look great on a t-shirt in between thorough intellectual discussion and uncomfortably truthful observations. There were scenes where the exchange of clever lines became slightly self-indulgent, slowing the momentum. However, these moments also helped to occasionally loosen the tension which makes structural sense, given the high stakes of the action.

The choice of Artscape Arena as the venue for this play also made structural sense. The sharp incline of the seating and the resultant separation between the action and the audience suits the more public, expansive world of the play, unlike some of Viljoen's other works which are better served by more intimate spaces like The Masambe.

Kieran McGregor’s set, a simple platform with a chair and palisades, is the perfect bandstand for Viljoen’s symphony. The construction evokes imagery of a medieval European court and an indigenous African kraal. Since it’s all made of wood, there is also the underlying feeling of growing nature tamed to serve man’s need for structure, support and security. Meanwhile, the lighting uses both blindingly bright spots and creeping, concealing shadows to further underscore the layers of meaning in what is said.

The raised position of the seating also serves to give the set a boxing ring feel which fits the spoken sparring of the dialogue. The combative context makes the violence happening offstage feel more immediate and relevant to the characters. Suddenly they are forced to confront the very real consequences of their callous machinations.

Viljoen likewise forces the audience to confront the unnerving situation by juxtaposing lofty imagery with deliberately shocking baseness that keeps the audience’s attention from wandering. Within the generic nature of the entities (The State and The Leader) and the international connotations of the set, South African audiences will instantly recognise moments from our own history. This is the real impact of the play: it exposes the corruptive nature of the pursuit of power as a universal human condition, rooted in a distinctly South African atmosphere.

The play runs 80 minutes, a comfortable length of time in which to confront distinctly uncomfortable themes that are uncomfortable because they are universal. This show deserves to be seen and, perhaps more importantly, heard; and if the reaction of the opening night audience is any indication, tickets are likely to go fast.

DEATH OF A UNION LEADER is on at the Artscape Arena until 30 May. Tickets through Webtickets.

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