Athol Fugard’s 1961 drama “Blood Knot” does the exact opposite of what writing manuals advise.
Forget about setting the tone and the plot early on to capture the audience’s attention: The hour-plus first act of this revival dillydallies on a road to nowhere interesting.
But “Blood Knot” follows the exact same pattern as the current Broadway revival of Fugard’s “The Road to Mecca”: After a laborious start, the show eventually picks up. The first half lulls you into a snooze; the second slaps you awake.
For what feels like an eternity, we begin by watching the daily grind of poverty-stricken half-brothers who share a pitiful shanty in the South African town of Port Elizabeth. Zach comes back from his job as a gatekeeper and soaks his tired feet in salts. Morris tends to their domestic needs and generally frets.
You wonder what Fugard is going to make of his intriguing setup: Unlike Zach (Colman Domingo), the fair-skinned, ginger-haired Morris (Scott Shepherd, from “Gatz”) could easily pass as white.
“You’re on the lighter side of life,” Zach says.
To distract Zach from his horny restlessness, Morris suggests he find a pen pal; he’ll write the letters, since his sibling is illiterate. They start corresponding with a woman who’s “18 years old and well-developed” — she’s also the sister of a white policeman.
This change in their routine throws Morris and Zach’s relationship out of whack. Using a garish new suit and combat boots as a symbol of whiteness and power, they act out games of race-based dominance and submission that grow increasingly violent. Though it’s more openly related to the daily reality of apartheid, the second act feels more abstract — it’s like a brutal version of “Waiting for Godot.”
Fugard himself played Morris in ’61 and on Broadway in 1985. Now 79, he contents himself with directing this production — the first in the Signature Company’s season dedicated to his work. He does a fine job creating an increasingly oppressive atmosphere, and wrings intense, sometimes grimly funny performances from Shepherd and Domingo — the second nearly unrecognizable from his roles in the musicals “Passing Strange” and “The Scottsboro Boys.”
So be patient: Here, the end justifies the means.