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Groundswell Examines Apartheid’s Effects
Drama at Lyric Stage examines questions of greed, justice
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Groundswell is the sort of play that reminds audiences why art was put on this earth. Set in post-apartheid South Africa, the play explores the intersecting lives of three men, disappointed in their lives and willing to go to desperate lengths to make their mark on the world. Groundswell is set at a hotel in a sleepy port town whose slow, languid sounds and sights juxtaposition the tense action going on between the men on stage. Making its New England premiere at Lyric Stage Company of Boston, Groundswell will play January 1–30, 2010.
Starring Jason Bowen (Thami), Timothy John Smith (Johan) and Richard McElvain (Smith), the plot follows Thami, the gardener and caretaker, and Johan, the odd-job man and former police officer, as they attempt to con the hotel’s only guest into investing in their diamond-mining scheme.
Bowen is making his Lyric Stage debut as Thami. His credits include the recent A Civil War Christmas at the Huntington Theatre Company and The Good War at Stoneham Theatre. Also debuting is Richard McElvain as Smith. McElvain recently appeared in the title role of Galileo for The Underground Railway Theatre and M.I.T. and has appeared in and directed hundreds of productions in and around the Boston area. Lyric Stage veteran Timothy John Smith returns to the stage as Johan after performances in Kiss Me, Kate, Man of La Mancha and 1776.
Examining the themes of guilt, greed and cultural guidelines, Groundswell is as deft a piece of art as any to describe the true definition of justice. For more information or to purchase tickets to the play being presented by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston (140 Clarendon Street, Boston MA), please visit www.lyricstage.com or call (617) 585-5678.