The Convert

Play (2012)
by Danai Gurira

With Liana Asim (Mai Tamba), Adobuere Ebiama (Jekesai/Ester), Maurice Emmanuel Parent (Chilford), Ricardy Charles Fabre (Tamba), Equiano Mosieri (Chancellor), Paul S. Benford Bruce (Uncle), Nahassaiu DeGannes (Prudence)

Chilford (Maurice Emmanuel Parent) is a Roman Catholic African, an aspiring priest, in Rhodesia in 1895. At the behest of his housekeeper, Mai Tamba (Liana Asim), he takes in her niece, Jekesai (Adobuere Ebiama), a beautiful young tribal woman in order to protect her from an unwanted forced marriage by a greedy and manipulative uncle (Paul S. Benford). Jekesai becomes a Christian in the bargain, is renamed Ester by Chilford, and begins to take on her new religious identity and ideology very seriously.

Chilford is a model of accommodation to external religious and cultural influence. His friend, Chancellor (Equiano Mosieri), and Chancellor’s fiancee, Prudence (Nahassaiu DeGannes), also represent that portion of the African population that has earnestly adapted to and accepted those external influences.

In the process of escaping the uncle, Ester is earnestly helped by Mai Tamba’s son, her cousin Tamba (Ricardy Charles Fabre), to sign on with Chilford. However, as the prevailing and progressively unjust domination by colonial whites becomes more vividly evident, Tamba’s resistance to external cultural influences increases, to the point of crisis. Things become quite complicated in a variety of ways as the confrontation between Africans and colonials heats up and directly affects Chilford, Ester and their circle of family and friends.

This play and production is quite long – two hours and forty minutes with two intermissions – but so beautifully written and expertly directed and acted that it does not flag for a second.

The writing is incredibly good. The plot is marvelously conceived, with the subtlety and complexity that signifies all great drama. The tension builds to a truly cathartic level, and it’s all done with perfectly believable dramatic constructs, without a sense of artificiality. The characters are beautifully drawn, each vivid and emblematic of a particular set of influences, but strongly individualistic at the same time.

The directing and the acting are top notch.

Long swaths of dialogue are recited in a tribal Bantu language, Shona, and the actors carry those off with an amazing sense of authenticity. When they speak English, they do so, as well, with such beautiful and believable accents that it is a sheer pleasure just to listen to them. The writing of the dialogue is also so artfully done that all the wonderful alterations of English come through in a totally effective and believable way.

Maurice Emmanuel Parent, an established Boston area actor, as Chilford, is just great, one of the strongest performances I’ve seen him give. He carries off the role with a compelling combination of faith, irascibility, nobility, authority and tragic awareness that resounds throughout.

Adobuere Ebiama as Jekesai/Ester is quietly noble and wonderfully sympathetic in each of the phases of her adaptation to life in Chilford’s household. Her subtle but commanding performance carries through most intensely at the end when the various complications of the plot wend their way in her direction; her final scene with Chilford is heartbreakingly effective.

As the housekeeper who is Jekesai/Ester’s aunt, Liana Asim has a marvelous demeanor, full of fun and whimsy at the appropriate times and full of intensity at others. She is funny as hell but carries the dramatic moments with distinction.

Nahassaiu DeGannes (Prudence) is appropriately but delightfully superficial at the outset, but as her role grows the incredible power of ***’s performance becomes evident. The range of the character if quite significant and DeGannes rises to the occasion admirably.

As Ester’s cousin Tamba, Ricardy Charles Fabre gives an admirably energetic performance, and in the role of Chancellor, Prudence’s fiance and Chilford’s friend, Equiano Mosieri renders the various aspects of the character persuasively. Paul S. Benford as the greedy uncle is appropriately annoying and manipulative.

The quality of the direction by Megan Sandberg-Zakian is evident throughout and the quality of the acting of the ensemble, as a result, is vividly present.

What a great play! Instead of maintaining a simplistic point of view, the play devours the complexities of colonialism – its attractions, its compromises and its utter degradation and injustices – and does so in a way that is compelling, effective and deeply insightful.

In addition to that sense of probing cultural thoughtfulness, the play provides a set of ethical dilemmas in such brilliant context that it can serve as a tutorial in that arena. Pitting faith against personal affiliation and devotion, love against justice, and a sense of true religiosity set in relief against cultural persecution, it delivers its deep and complex meanings without simplifying any of the attendant issues.

Not to be missed.

– BADMan