In the heart-wrenching wake of post-Apartheid South Africa, a young woman yearns to know the truth about her husband. He is a school teacher who disappeared two years ago and has not been seen since. Mae, the wife, is afraid that her husband has been killed. His “ghost” revisits her in dreams even now because he wants her to find the truth. Such is the basic story behind Burying the Bonesby Chicago-based playwright M.E.H. Lewis. Milwaukee’s In Tandem Theater is staging the play’s Wisconsin premiere.
It takes the entire length of the play for Mae to discover some startling truths about her husband. As she continues her quest, she is advised by her older sister, Cassandra, to leave well enough alone. You may not like what you find, she says. (We discover near the end of the play that Cassandra knows more than she is telling.)
Cassandra (deftly played by Bria Cloyd) is more of an interesting character than the naive Mae. Cassandra, a licensed nurse, has resorted to ancient medical practices after her clinic was bombed. The clinic offered free health care to the local community, and its absence left a huge void in the town. Without a job, Cassandra has reverted to the ancient teachings of her grandmother in order to create the healing powders she peddles. Since she feels responsible for feeding Mae as well as herself, she also takes a part-time position with the newly formed Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In a small room where those summoned by the commission wait to appear, Cassandra gives care and comfort. This is where she meets Gideon, a white Afrikaner officer who admits to torturing and killing thousands of “terrorists.”
The most memorable scenes in Burying the Bones are between Gideon and Cassandra. Initially, Gideon treats her in a condescending way. He refers to her in a term that she reminds him is now considered an insult. Surprised and annoyed at her sassy reply, Gideon takes a greater interest in Cassandra.
As Gideon, Mark Corkins brilliantly conveys the growing closeness between these two disparate characters. After awhile, Gideon starts to look forward to his visits with Cassandra. They are a welcome break from an empty home, since his wife and child left long ago. Gideon and Cassandra are more alike than either of them could ever have imagined.
One wishes more of the play could have been a dialogue between the characters than the stilted scenes of the commission hearings. A pair of commissioners – hidden in shadow behind a screen -- quiz Gideon about events that happened under his supervision.
Gideon is a proud man who feels he has achieved a great deal of success within the police force. When asked by the commissioners about his bloody interrogations, Gideon bristles and he says he was doing what he learned at the police academy. When the audience actually sees how Gideon tortures a prisoner, he apparently has no emotions attached to his actions.
Gideon tells the commission he is quite sure about when James was apprehended. But this doesn’t match up with Mae’s recollection – one of many tantalizing tidbits that remain unresolved until later in the play.
Eventually, Mae must confront the question: Who can you really trust? Your sister? Your husband? In a surprising series of twists, Mae nearly becomes unraveled as the truth finally is revealed. Claiming all along that she is “non-political,” Mae realizes the futility her statement. She exists in a world where politics control everything – even those closest to her. Mae must acknowledge that they have played their own part in perpetuating the system.
Although the playwright is to be commended for tackling weighty political issues, they’re almost too much for one play. The depressing aspects of Burying the Bones threaten to obliterate almost everything else the play has to offer. This unfortunate fact is not in any way a reflection on director Chris Flieller or the outstanding cast of actors. The actors do such a realistic job – especially when depicting pre-Apartheid lawlessness -- that it is almost too much for the audience to bear in one sitting.
