Colic
Playwright: Davud Fathibeigi
Director: Hossein Babai
Sangelaj Hall
8:30-10:30 pm

The Blackface is a popular comic character in Iranian theater with roots going back to the Sassanid era (242-650) according to some accounts. In this short piece, I want to introduce the reader to one of the old actors in this genre, {Sadi Afshar}, who is now playing the role of the blackface clown again after several years of being away from theater. Let me first give you an impression of what blackface signifies.

To me, the blackface of the ru-howzi theater is not a hero in the conventional sense but one who has gained popular attention because he represents a dream in the collective psyche of Iranians -- to combat hypocrisy, false guise and bigotry. What are the tools that the blackface ("siyah") employs to give expression to this dream?

[::] The blackface is not conservative. His radicalism is rooted in his being a born servant, a slave, who has never been reminded that he has freedom and rights to reclaim as a human being. This lack of rights has resulted in a lack of parsimoniousness. The blackface parodies other characters as he is frank and candid with them. He goes beyond propriety.
[::] The blackface is rude, but where does this vulgarity come from? He doesn't try to hide his weaknesses from others the way we do.
[::] The blackface is a mirror. The transparent and clear nature of the blackface reflects everything that is shone upon him. He is characteristically shrewd and soon sees where bad faith is.
[::] The blackface is truthful and truth seeking. His emotions and feelings are still undeveloped like a child's, while at the same time he is an observant critic of his surroundings. When someone speaks truthfully, the blackface is on her side, albeit that he is so relentless and improper that he may accuse the speaker of truth of being a fraud in practice.
[::] The blackface is not a blackface but has been darkly painted by the society. The blackface is that African slave who has been brought to the house of the Iranian aristocracy. He has picked up the customs, behavior and language of Iranians according to his own ways. The color of the blackface of the ru-howzi theater represents that pain and suffering of individuals belonging to the lower echelons of society -- the color of social determinism.
[::] The blackface takes nothing seriously since no one has taken him seriously. For him everything is subject to ridicule and despite all the darkness surrounding him, he doesn't want people to see his sadness even for a second.
[::] The blackface is a dancer. The customary dance at the end of ru-howzi plays is an indication of a happiness stemming from the emergence of truth, the laying bare of hypocrisy, and the failure of falsehood. The blackface dances because he wants to free himself of all shackles; he knows what he is trying to do. Where dance is considered inappropriate, the blackface is the only one allowed to dance. His moves are not conventional. His dance, like his life, is guided by others -- he is a string puppet!
[::] The blackface is called by the most complementary of names in Iranian theater, despite all the cruelty and injustice leveled at him: "yaqut" (ruby), "firuz" (victorious), "zanbaq" (lily), "tavus" (peacock) and, the most famous, "mobarak" (merry). We can see the complementary nature of these appellations when we come upon similar names for house pets today among Iranian families.
[::] The crossbred and high-pitched voice the blackface emphasizes his asexuality. He is a eunuch with a license to enter any circle and to be witnessed to the sins of all.

Who is this blackface, really? Whatever he is, he is not a hero. He doesn't like heroic actions and he is not after changing the world. He is experienced and seasoned; as such, he waits for the moment to pick the fruit of that which he has played a part in ripening.

These were some of the characteristics of the blackface. To remain a blackface is as important to be one and this is the power of actor Sadi Afshar's work. For years he has painted his face black to make people laugh. The minstrelsy of Sadi Afshar is so intricate that few actors can match. This intricacy is due to his experience as an actor. The signs of old age have made his body flaccid. He no longer moves that much on the stage, in addition to the fact that his experience gives him the power to avoid unnecessary movements. His silence and steadiness on stage are more comic and meaningful than the stock characteristics of the blackface -- parody, witticism, burlesque, provocations.