of all of Athol Fugard's plays, "MASTER HAROLD...and the boys" is clearly the most personal, as it was based on a painful incident from his youthful days. During the ugliest years of the apartheid system, Fugard's critical position against the South African regime resulted in most of his works being banned in his homeland, so they had to be premiered on stages abroad, most notably the Yale Repertory Theatre, where "MasterHarold" received its March 1982 …showed first 75 words of 772 total…

…showed last 75 words of 772 total…ng one-act (a single scene, no intermission), and in the process raises the more encompassing issues of interracial friendship, betrayal of ideals, and the scars of slavery, no matter what the historical context. Despite the pain and highly visceral reactions the play provokes, (and this excellent Studio Theatre production captures them vividly), Fugard's vision of hope somehow peers through the shattered remains when it's closing time at the St. George's Park Tea Room. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**