In a Lonely Place: 'The Road to Mecca'

IN THE OPENING MOMENTS of Studio Theatre's "The Road to Mecca," elderly Miss Helen runs around her home frantically cleaning up clutter, barely taking time to breathe. She doesn't often get visitors, but her young friend Elsa has driven 800 miles to see her.

Athol Fugard's play takes place on the night of Elsa's arrival. The brash 31-year-old schoolteacher has come to check in on her aging friend, who has become an artist late in life. She transformed her home into a vibrant collection of glittering colored glass and delicately crafted sculptures.

However, all is not well in the remote South African hamlet. Miss Helen's art has separated her from her community and underscored her alienation from the local church. When the minister (Martin Rayner) comes to transition her to a home for the elderly, she must decide whether it is in her best interest to separate herself from her robust artistic life in order to settle into a stable, creatively barren environment.

Fugard claims that the play explores extremely personal territory. "The play gave me a superb metaphor for dealing with one of the things that I have been terribly frightened of: 'What am I going to do with myself if I can't write anymore?'" he said.

Fugard's play draws its inspiration from South African outsider artist Helen Martins, who had a creative awakening at age 50. Martins extravagantly redecorated her house, applying vibrantly colored paint to the walls, covering the home with deliberately cut mirrors and drawing smiling sun faces on the ceiling.

"The Road to Mecca" boasts powerful, inspired performances by its leading ladies — Holly Twyford as Elsa and Tana Hicken as Miss Helen. Twyford provides real fire to the role of Elsa, while Hicken gives Miss Helen a good balance of vulnerability and vitality.

» Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW; through Oct. 19, $34-$61; 202-332-3300, studiotheatre.org. (U St.-Cardozo)

Written by Express contributor Dan Miller
Photo by Carol Pratt