Nicholas Wright’s A Human Being Died That Night was first produced by Eric Abraham at The Hampstead Downstairs, London in May of 2013 and ran for a sold out 5 week season. Following two acclaimed seasons in Cape Town, this Fugard Theatre production transferred to New York in 2015, for a season at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM).
1997. Pretoria Central Prison, South Africa. Psychologist Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela prepares to sit opposite the apartheid regime’s most notorious assassin, Eugene de Kock nicknamed “Prime Evil”– the head of the apartheid regime’s death squads. A member of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Madizikela questions de Kock who is serving a 212 year sentence for crimes against humanity, murder, conspiracy to murder, attempted murder, assault, kidnapping, illegal possession of firearms, and fraud. She is determined to try to understand what motivated de Kock’s actions. One is reminded of European writer and philosopher Hannah Arendt’s endeavor to understand the nature of evil when she wrote about the Nazi holocaust architect Adolf Eichman’s trial in Israel in 1962.
Reviews
“Quietly gripping and superbly acted drama. Ms. Dumezweni and Mr. Marsh’s impeccable performances, under the direction of Jonathan Munby, ground the play in a vivid reality” The New York Times
“Marsh’s brilliant portrayal of de Kock … the riveting Noma Dumezweni” New York Magazine
★★★★★ “Unmissable. Marsh is magnificent” The Independen
★★★★ “Intimate and intense experience.” The Evening Standard
★★★★ “Remarkable. Intense. Thrilling and cut with humour. Marsh is phenomenal. Brilliant Dumezweni”. The Times
“A suspenseful, profound production that hits you hard in all the right places. You need to see it.” Cape Times
★★★★ “… tightly scripted, intense, well-crafted” Cape Argus
“If there is one play you see this year – or even if this is the first in ages – make the effort to see A Human Being Died That Night” The Sunday Independent
“A rare, perfect theatrical experience.” – Broadwayworld.com
“A superb piece of theatre” Artslink
