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Out
of Bounds Group: UK Arts International Presents RASA Productions |
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Natasha Hullugale. | |
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Rajesh Gopie's one man performance in Out of Bounds runs through 28 characters with jaw dropping energy. Billed as the play that so moved Nelson Mandela that he requested a private performance, Gopie never betrayed any pressure he might feel with the enormity of such a recommendation. His narrator Lal, told of his experiences growing up in a huge, chaotic Indian family in South Africa during apartheid. Gopie also wrote Out of Bounds, and his characters were all so infused with minute detail in speech, mannerisms and characteristics that we can only presume that he has drawn on personal experience for his play. Out of Bounds is therefore a success on several levels. As a portrayal of family life and as a nostalgic coming of age drama it had the right amount of funny, bittersweet and intimate moments to make it genuinely touching. It was also able to provide an insight into the frequently confused state of being a South African Indian under apartheid, where the dangers were more hidden and unexpected. For example it comes as a terrible shock to Lal and his family when they are forced to flee their home in Durban and retreat to an Indian township because of rioting. Gopie is very clever at showing how the young Lal despairs of his exaggeratedly raucous family and community while knowing it is only through this unit that others define him. It is also interesting that while there is an acceptance and a warmth towards identity through ethnic community and family life, it is not exactly a joyous celebration. Lal longs to be understood as a separate entity and can only achieve this through leaving his life in South Africa. It is by leaving that he gains clarity on his position in an entirely race-conscious society, but his acceptance is not presented in a crass or jubilant Benetton advert manner. Such an approach would ring hollow and delusional. The attraction of Out of Bounds is that while it is unflinchingly honest about racial tension, it is also enjoyable and entertaining as a character driven family chronicle. 7 August to 24
August.
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