An intense, thought-provoking play about the seeds of hatred and forgiveness across the apartheid era. Rating
Excellent
Paul Herzberg’s The Moth, is an ambitious and thought-provoking exploration of hatred, trauma and the possibility of forgiveness. It explores what happens when two men, shaped by profoundly different experiences of the same brutal history, are forced to confront one another and address their past.
The story centres on John Josana (Faz Singhateh), a Black British journalist whose family fled South Africa following the bloodshed in Soweto in 1976, and Marius Muller (Micky Cochrane), an Afrikaner who served as a soldier during the apartheid years. They meet by chance on a train from Dundee to London in 1997. Marius shares his wartime experiences, including the killing of a Black prisoner, horrifying John, who is in no mood to listen.
The staging is simple and functional, with projected images establishing different time periods and locations. Historical news footage provides useful context, although the projections could be used perhaps more imaginatively to add atmosphere and visual interest.
The play examines how hatred is inherited, shaped by circumstance, making for an interesting parallel with modern-day conflicts. Both men are damaged by their pasts; John by apartheid and displacement, and Marius by an abusive childhood at the hands of his Nazi father, along with the tyranny of his army involvement. As their stories unfold, unexpected parallels emerge, challenging some of the assumptions each has made about the other.
The Moth was originally produced as a ten-minute monologue, with the material here expanded into a full-length play. The dialogue is heavy on exposition and teeters on becoming a little preachy. At times it feels overwritten, as similar themes are explored regularly, which results in explicitly presenting the story and the arguments within it, rather than allowing the audience to come to their own conclusions. The material works best when the language is more poetic and less explanatory.
Director Jake Murray skilfully weaves a complex story, drawing powerful performances from both actors. Each gives a strong and intense performance. Singhateh handles the long passages of text skilfully, while Cochrane is equally effective, finding vulnerability in Muller and drawing empathy despite his brutal and racist actions in the past. The Afrikaner does, after all, seek forgiveness, and their initially antagonistic relationship gradually moves towards a reluctant understanding.
However, the parallels between their lives sometimes feel overly full of coincidences and similarities, stretching the credibility of the plot in order to bring the two men closer together. The suggestion that their experiences mirror one another, however differently, is interesting but occasionally seems too neat. Questions arise about whether forgiveness is possible without forgetting, and whether acknowledging another person’s humanity means excusing their actions. These topics are at their most interesting when explored through the interaction between the characters, rather than through the reliance on direct address to the audience.
The Moth tackles difficult and important subject matter. It’s an interesting piece of theatre, with committed performances, leaving plenty to reflect on.
You can read more about the show in our recent interview with writer Paul Herzberg.
Written by Paul Herzberg
Directed by Jake Murray
Set & Costume Design by Amelia Mitchell
Lighting Design by Simon Cole
Sound & Music Composed by Paul C Clark
Video, Film & Projections by Paul C Clark and Amelia Mitchell
Produced by Andy Jordan
Presented by Elysium Theatre Company and Andy Jordan Productions
Production Manager: Chris Corner
Assistant Producer: Amie Brian
The Moth plays at the Finborough Theatre until Saturday 21 November.
