Kunene and the King
In most cases, American audiences encounter stories about racial and socioeconomic disparities through a distinctly American lens. However, the Guthrie Theater’s production of Octopus Theatrical’s Kunene and the King, written by Tony Award winner John Kani, offers a different perspective.
Set in post-apartheid South Africa in 2019, the play follows Lunga Kunene, a no-nonsense Black caregiver with little patience for privilege or hubris, as he provides in-home care for Jack Morris, a celebrated but stubborn white actor facing a life-changing diagnosis while rehearsing for the title role in King Lear. Divided by race, class, and politics, the two men initially struggle to find common ground until Shakespeare brings them together.
While Morris is confronted with not only having to deal with his own biases and preconceived notions about native South Africans, he is also confronted with his mortality and realization that even the most successful and wealthy people cannot escape the inevitable end.
Kani, who also portrays Kunene, brings remarkable emotional depth to the role. Though tasked with caring for a patient who challenges him at every turn, Kunene demonstrates the restraint required of a caregiver subjected to verbal attacks against his beliefs and heritage. Through this character, Kani explores the universal experience of enduring oppression while being expected to feel grateful simply for surviving. Kunene serves as both a mirror to those who express their prejudices without remorse and a testament to the resilience of the oppressed, who continue to persevere and fulfill their commitment to provide a service they have sworn to uphold, despite mistreatment.
It is in this aspect of the piece that Twin Cities audiences are shown a slice of history that we are not taught about in our education system. While the events that Kunene recounts are difficult to hear, they are never presented in a way that is seen as preachy. Instead, they are shared to provide context to why Kunene is not willing to roll over and take verbal abuses and accusations that are so often hurled at him and his community.
Then here is Kunene’s patient, Jack Morris, brought to life with intense emotion and fervor by Edward Gero. He embodies Morris as a grounded and realistic portrayal of a man who has made a name for himself, has upper class privilege, and is not afraid to throw his weight around to make others feel as though they owe him something. While at times Morris’ viewpoints and verbal outbursts will make the audience cringe with how backwards his beliefs are and how brash his vocabulary is, at the root of it, he is just a man who refuses to admit that he is reaching the end of his rope. All played to great affect by Gero who throws his entire self into the role.
While Kani’s script delivers its share of hurtful and face-palm-inducing moments, these instances of bias highlight how racism, preconceived notions, and prejudice remain universal problems. As the play progresses, both men are challenged to reconsider their perceptions of each other and the cultures they were raised in, reminding audiences that prejudice transcends skin color, nationality, and cultural background.
Despite the tension between them, one of the play’s most powerful elements is their shared respect for William Shakespeare. Through their individual connections to the Bard’s work, the men discover how its themes transcend language and personal differences. Kani’s play illustrates how an appreciation for theater, much like religion, can serve as a universal language that connects us regardless of where we come from.
Director, Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago Hudson, elevates the emotional depth of the piece with his masterful direction, giving the actors the perceived freedom to move around the set as they see fit. His use of physical distance between the actors is particularly strong due to the amount of tension that the play creates. Too easily could the characters be face to face while they are trading truths and opinions directed at one another but Santiago Hudson uses the distance between them to emulate yelling across the deep void that sits between them.
Kani’s Kunene and the King is a powerful work of theater that, despite being set thousands of miles from the United States, offers a compelling perspective on the familiar struggles surrounding race, class, and differing life experiences. While never preachy, the show acts as a mirror to the audience to look within ourselves and evaluate if we are being fair to others when we harbor biases towards others, no matter their race, sex, creed, religion, or other differences without knowing the life experiences that have shaped their perspectives.
