(Mbongeni Ngema. Pic by Val Adamson)
Mbongeni Ngema’s
heroic story-telling narrative, The Zulu,
continues its South African tour with a season at The Playhouse from December 3
to 29.
Following the
acclaimed show’s world premiere run as the opening production of this year’s
National Arts Festival in Grahamstown - where it drew ongoing standing ovations
- the production has played to wildly enthusiastic audiences in Zululand and
Swaziland, with follow-up seasons in Pretoria and, most recently, at
Johannesburg’s Market Theatre.
Funded by the
National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) and scripted by Mbongeni Ngema
himself, The Zulu is directed by
Christopher John and designed by Sarah Roberts. The show is produced by Africa
Ngema and presented by Committed Artists Foundation in partnership with SABC1.
Inspired by the
spellbinding tales he first heard from the lips of his blind great-grandmother,
Mkhulutshana Manqele, when he was a little boy growing up in the heart of rural
Zululand, The Zulu celebrates Ngema’s
return to the stage as a star actor for the first time in close on three
decades.
The touring
production’s opening night in Zululand in July was attended by a deeply
appreciative King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu, who led the applause as the
curtain came down. “A performance fit for a king,” heralded Dave Savides in his
review in Eyethu Bay Watch. “Ngema held the sizeable crowd spellbound with his
dramatic narrative, weaving his story with impeccable skill. The show should be
made compulsory viewing for all, especially the young.”
A comparable
response greeted performances of The Zulu
in Swaziland, where Ngema commands a loyal following after touring two of his
previous shows – Woza Albert and Asinamali – there in the past. After the
opening performance at the Royal Swazi Convention Centre, the Deputy Prime
Minister of Swaziland commended Ngema’s dedication to fostering awareness of
his people’s historic culture.
At the outset of
his show, Ngema recalls the indelible impact his great-grandmother’s wonderful
stories of old Zululand made on him. This was the start of his life-long love
affair with story-telling, which later burgeoned into an illustrious
international theatre career.
Offstage, Ngema
recounts how as a young man at the outset of his profession, one of his early
mentors, the renowned Polish theatre authority, Jerzy Grotowski, marvelled at
the way an African storyteller becomes the characters he or she is talking
about. This inspired Ngema to follow his dream of keeping alive his family’s oral
history, closely enmeshed with the historic saga of the Zulu Nation – from King
Shaka to the Battle of Isandlwana.
Now indeed, in
bringing his production of The Zulu
to the stage, Ngema brings history powerfully back to life for his audiences,
delivering an evening of African story-telling on a grand scale that stands as
a passionate celebration of the theatre of his forebears. The production sees
Ngema performing to the accompaniment of maskandi star, Matshitshi Ngema.
The Zulu runs in The Playhouse Drama from December 3 to 29.Tickets R150 Tuesdays
to Thursdays and R200 Fridays to Sundays. Performances are at 20h00 from Tuesdays
to Saturdays (Sundays at 15h00). Concession R80 for children/students/pensioners
and block booking discounts are available. Booking is through Computicket on
0861 915 8000 or online at www.computicket.com.
Following its
Durban performances, The Zulu is set
to tour abroad, with seasons in Zimbabwe and Nigeria on the cards. The
production is expected to tour to the United States for a season at New York
University’s Aaron Davis Hall in May, 2014.
For more
information visit the production’s Facebook page, Mbongeni Ngema’s The Zulu, or
log on to http://ngemasthezulu.blogspot.com, or follow the show on twitter
@NgemasTheZulu.
Posts
