Athol Fugard’s latest play, Concerning the Life of Babyboy Kleintjies, spurs a conversation on homelessness and the human condition. Screened at the PJ Oliver Hall, the play confronts Stellenbosch residents with the reality of homelessness and their complicity in the town’s homelessness issue.
Set under a bridge crossing Eerste Rivier, Concerning the Life of Babyboy Kleintjies follows four homeless people as they navigate a cold winter’s night, sheltering themselves from the wind and the hopelessness of their circumstances.
The 90-minute play, written and directed by Athol Fugard and Paula Fourie, was performed at the PJ Oliver Hall in Stellenbosch on 10 October, as part of the 2022 Toyota US Woordfees.
Brecht-bound
The play was inspired by the poem Concerning the Infanticide, Marie Farrar by German poet Bertolt Brecht, Fourie tells MatieMedia.
Brecht’s poem is about a poor mother who murders her child as she can no longer care for them. This is replicated in the play, as we see the character Mari becoming the self-appointed adoptive mother of the titular character, Babyboy Kleintjies. This is an unfortunate reality in South Africa, and something that Fugard has grappled with, says Fourie.
“He felt that he had an appointment with this poem,” she adds.
Throughout the play, the characters break the fourth wall and directly address the audience – a decision also inspired by Brecht’s work, Fourie says.
‘There isn’t a place for us’
The play starts with the characters Vink, Lappies and Riempie sitting around a fire under the bridge, reflecting on their lived experiences as homeless men in Stellenbosch. Mari barges in, carrying a new storm in the form of a newborn baby.
Each character appears to represent a unique experience with poverty. Riempie’s backstory is the most fleshed out; a matric graduate who grew up in relatively comfortable circumstances compared to the other characters. Lappies and Vink teach him how to become a caricatural bergie, stripping away his personhood in order to make him more palatable to Stellenbosch residents who are otherwise uncomfortable seeing homeless people as individuals.
Mari, played by Loren Loubser, stands out. Loubser’s portrayal of the doting and fearful “mother” is chilling and reflective of the hopelessness that the play highlights.
“[In Stellenbosch], it is possible to never see someone from a different class or racial group, because in Stellenbosch these two still go hand in hand,” says Paula Fourie (left), co-writer and assistant director of Concerning the Life of Babyboy Kleintjies. “The exception makes the rule in this town – and it is still a reality that this town still reflects a mark of its history,” she adds. Loren Loubser (right) played the role of Mari in the production. PHOTO: Tamia Retief
The play poses a question about belonging, and challenges about what it means to belong when you have no formal place to call home.
The limited set design allows the audience to zone in on the characters and the dialogue. Interactive moments between the characters and the audience invoke feelings of discomfort, as the audience is forced to engage with the difficult circumstances playing out on stage.
Setting the play in Stellenbosch was an intentional decision, says Fourie. “Stellenbosch is a town driven by infacto-segregation and a huge wealth gap,” she says.
Seeing people as people
While all aspects of the play could be awarded, what made it special was the intimacy it created. The play offers an intimate gaze into the souls of people that would otherwise go unnoticed.
Fourie hopes that the play will challenge the audience to not only treat the homeless with more kindness, but also take time to see them as people rather than a consequence of unfortunate circumstances.
Fourie urges watchers to “think twice before you dismiss or look away or not recognise the humanity of the beggars”.
Concerning the Life of Babyboy Kleintjies will be performed again at the PJ Oliver Hall in Stellenbosch on 15 October at 20:00 and on 16 October at 20:00.