The
Overwhelming
by J.T. Rogers
Matthew Marsh, William Armstrong, Tanya Moodie, Andrew Garfield,
Jude Akuwudike, Danny Sapani, Babou Ceesay, Chipo Chung,
Adura Onashile
Director: Max Stafford Clark
A National Theatre / Out of Joint Production
Everyman Theatre, Liverpool
Friday 29th September, 2006
 |
THE OVERWHELMING
REVIEW
With The Overwhelming, J.T. Rogers
has made a stunning entry into British theatre, with this telling of ignorance
set in Rwanda at the start of the country’s ethnic cleansing regime.
Seizing the opportunity to research a book, Jack Exley (Marsh) uproots
his family from Illinois to Rwanda in early 1995. Alarmingly out of his
depth, Jack begins a fervent search for his dear, missing friend, Joseph
Gasana (Akuwidike), while Jack’s wife, Linda (Moodie) and teenage
son, Geoffrey (Garfield), find trouble of their own. As Jack involves
himself in local politics, without the help of the American ambassador
(Armstrong) – who simply repeats that the Americans are guests in
Rwanda – he discovers a pattern of brutality and beliefs that jeopardizes
the lives of everyone around him.
This is powerful theatre, brilliantly acted and staged. The performances
of Matthew Marsh as the increasingly dismayed Jack, is quite stunning
at times and that of Andrew Garfield as the awakening son, Geoffrey,
shows that here is a talent brimming with potential.
Though informative and a little laboured
in its setting of the scene, the first act has all the overtones of
a lecture as the naivety of the American family is spotlighted. The
second act, however, puts that to one side and the story blossoms into
something that pricks the conscience of the audience to such an extent
it is nothing short of momentous.
The spelling out of the reality of the situation to Jack by an anonymous
UN military chief (Msamati), is the play’s epiphany and is worth
the entrance fee alone for the direct bluntness with which it is delivered.
When the official asks Jack if he speaks
French, to which the answer is no, the UN officer rebukes him, saying:
“If you will forgive me, that is very foolish. You are seeking
answers in a country you do not know, without a language to understand
it … Mister Exley, we are a small, dirty Band Aid on a large festering
wound. What do you think we can do here?”
Sound familiar?
Rwanda is too small a country without
enough economic or geographic importance for the “Big Boys”
to concern themselves with. Furthermore history is only ever written
– or not written – by “the winners”; a fact
brilliantly illustrated here, as the conflicting reasons for the genocide
are highlighted, one-by-one.
The blind ignorance of Linda, the confusion
of Geoffrey and the overriding desire of Rwandans to be more like Americans
in order to feel protected, are all preludes to disaster that are intricately
woven throughout the telling of the story.
Powerful and thought provoking, The
Overwhelming slowly evolves into a superb play and is
a wake up call that great theatre should be.
8/10
For further information on the Rwandan crisis: www.survivors-fund.org.uk
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