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Across the color line
Pamela Gien’s ‘Syringa Tree’ in Norristown
Steve Cohen
The Syringa Tree is a semi-autobiographical story by Pamela Gien, who created it for her own one-woman performance, portraying two dozen South Africans, white and black, who pass through a single household. Other solo actresses have played the parts since then (including Catharine Slusar at the Arden). Now Theatre Horizon and director Steve Pacek have made the unusual but effective decision to divide the script between two women — one white and one black.
It’s a smart move, because The Syringa Tree is so crammed with characters — some of them coming and going quickly — that it’s tough to follow them when they’re all played by a single actor. Because the parts are now divided between black and white women, the interpersonal relationships are clearer.
The script is sparse in its plot exposition. And with so many voices speaking, it takes a while to discern what’s happening and who is whom. But gradually we realize that Elizabeth, the six-year-old daughter of a privileged white couple, is growing to maturity under the care of her patient and comforting black nurse, Salamina. Early in the play, Salamina gives birth to a daughter she names Moliseng, who will figure prominently in the play’s denouement. By the final curtain, we comprehend the breathtaking cruelty of South African apartheid as it existed in the 1960s.
(The title refers to a nearby metaphorical syringa tree, where the spirits of ancestors supposedly live.)
Gien’s intentions here are magnificent, even if her writing is uneven. In this production, The Syringa Tree succeeds above all as a showcase for virtuoso performances by Kristyn Chouiniere and Alice M. Gatling. Chouiniere brings convincing hyperactive movements and intense facial and body expression to the part of the childish Elizabeth, who’s the play’s primary narrator. Gatling, for her part, brings warmth and compassion to the numerous black characters.
The switching of characters and places is significantly helped by the lighting effects of Thom Weaver, who also designed the set.
What, When, Where
The Syringa Tree. By Pamela Gien; Steve Pacek directed. Through November 9, 2014 at Theatre Horizon, 401 DeKalb St., Norristown. 610-283-2230 or theatrehorizon.org.
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