Set in
the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, Timekeepers
is the most-performed Israeli piece of theatre in the world. Directed by
Lee Gilat, it deals with three
prisoners. There’s the garrulous and outrageously camp Hans (Roy Horovitz), the
elderly reticent and tetchy Benjamin (Pinhas Mittelman) and the bullying,
manipulating Kapo (Omer Etzion, who alternates in this role with Rami Baruch).
All three actors give outstanding performances, each character a carefully
crafted and believable whole.
“If you
want to get out of here, you’d better start ticking” is the advice that
Benjamin gives a timepiece from the pile of broken watches he is fixing for the
Nazis. And while the watch may indeed find its way out of the camp, there is no
way that Benjamin will be able to follow suit. The best horologist in Berlin,
time is in his hands but he cannot manipulate it.
Suddenly,
his solitary existence is disrupted by the arrival of Hans, a wannabee opera
singer. He initially refuses to respond to Hans’s overtures of friendship but
eventually a relationship develops until Benjamin is willingly showing Hans how
to mend watches and they are arguing the virtues of Puccini and Verdi.
Identifying
their status within the prisoner community, Hans has a pink triangle sewn onto
his prisoner’s outfit labelling him a homosexual. Benjamin has a yellow star
because he’s Jewish. The Kapo has a green inverted triangle showing that he is
a criminal but he’s also a prison functionary which gives him authority over
the other two.
Written
by Dan Clancy, the play provides an insight into concentration camp life and
the fears and hopes of prisoners wrenched from their families and loved ones.
There
are only two performances of Timekeepers in
Durban and these will take place at Seabrooke’s Theatre, Durban High School, on
March 3 at 18h00 and March 4 at 19h30. The price of the ticket includes
refreshments after the show and a “meet and greet” with the cast. Bookings can
be made on 031 368 6833 by e-mailing seabrooke@durbanhighschool.co.za
Posts
