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| Lisa Richards, Stephen Collins. |
THE LAST DAYS OF
BRITISH HONDURAS [Drama/British Honduras/Politics/Prison/Science-Fiction]
A: Ronald Tavel; D: David Schweizer; S: Paul Zalon; C: Timothy Miller; L: Ian
Calderon; P: New York Shakespeare Festival; T: Pubic Theater/Other Stage (OB);
11/5/74-12/15/74 (12)
Ronald Tavel’s “mystic mystery play,” as Clive Barnes dubbed
it, proved “a curious farrago” to critics like John Simon. British Honduras
forms the background to this work about a jailed American archaeology/astronomy
student, Danyon Paron, Jr. (Stephen Collins), whose interests in thought
transference are linked to the author’s wish to explain how the twelfth-century
Mayan civilization of 53 million souls managed to mysteriously disappear
without a trace.
The action is set in 1970, just before the plebiscite is
taken to establish national independence. It moves around freely from Danyon’s
prison cell to a tree house to a jungle to a village tavern. A variety of
characters appear, including a Black prisoner named Rabbit (Don Blakeley), who
can be in two places at once; Joseph Austin (Norman Matlock), a Black politician
with dreams of power; Ali Balam (Marc Vahanian), a Mayan from outer space; Suzanne (Sheila Gibbs), a village waitress; and Danyon’s girlfriend, Lornette
(Lisa Richards), held hostage in the jungle by Ali Balam.
Barnes thought the play lacked credibility, and said it was “clumsily
constructed and its various levels of political intrigue and philosophical
melodrama not well meshed together.” Simon called it “pretentious” and took
Tavel to task not only for his “ludicrous aspirations,” but for his predilection—in
this and other plays—for giving his characters awful puns to speak. Barnes cited the following as an example of
Tavel’s “oddly convoluted” wordplay: “I cannot love the ground unless you are
the grounds upon which I love it.”
Notable actors involved included Daniel Hedaya and Frankie
Faison.