(Pre-publicity images of cast members photographed in situ, in Lamontville)The Playhouse Company will host the popular return of one the greatest hits of the South African stage, the multi-award-winning musical drama, Asinamali. Mbongeni Ngema’s acclaimed play will be performed in The Playhouse Drama from December 15 to 24. A show of immense vitality, sadness and humour, Asinamali makes for compelling theatre, given explosive force with its hammering delivery, mingling exhilarating dance and mime, and hypnotic choral singing.
The acclaimed work has toured internationally for more than two decades, sharing the spotlight with its siblings, Ngema’s equally renowned Woza, Albert! and Sarafina, and many other Ngema hit shows. Structured around a real-life event in Lamontville near Durban during the mid-1980’s (a critical rent strike led by community activist Msizi Dube and Pastor Mcebisi Xundu), Asinamali, literally meaning ‘we have no money’, became a pivotal part of a defiance campaign that urged the community of Lamontville not to pay for municipal services provided by the then apartheid government of South Africa.
The production did much to unveil the political side of Ngema’s impact in the struggle for political freedom of all South Africans, through his fearless drive in staging powerful protest theatre productions in the international performance arena. “All my work is merely a mirror of society,” Ngema is quoted as saying on eThekwini Online. “It’s a reflection of what the African people feel at any given time. From the days of the struggle, even now, I ignite a spark of hope, urging people to continue with the struggle,” says Madlokovu (his praise name).
Asinamali won early acclaim at Johannesburg’s Market Theatre, then toured South Africa, before opening at the Roger Furman Theatre in New York City for its American premiere. It subsequently opened at the Lincoln Centre’s Festival of South African Theatre, toured the US, Europe and Japan and returned to New York for a Broadway engagement. It has since won numerous international awards, and for his direction, Ngema was nominated for a Tony Award.
Last seen in Durban in 2004, the play’s return season is directed by Mbongeni Ngema. Bhoyi Ngema heads the new cast of the revival of this celebrated stage classic. Other cast members include Bongani Hlophe, Vukani Dlamini, Nhlanhla Ngema and Brian Mazibuko. Pre-booked tickets range from R70 to R95 at Computicket on 083 915 8000 or call Playhouse Box Office on 031 369 9596. Tickets ranging from R95 to R120 purchased an hour before curtain-up.
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