(Nhlakanipho
Maphumulo)
The internationally acclaimed production, King Cetshwayo, the Musical, that
premiered in Wales last year will finally be seen by South African audiences.
The musical featuring a 40-member cast will be staged at The
Playhouse Drama from June 20 to 23, 2018.
Brought to the local audiences by the Wushwini Pan African
Centre for Arts Culture and Heritage, in association with the Playhouse Company
and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture, King Cetshwayo, the Musical, retells the story of the epic victory
of the Zulu nation against the mighty British troops in 1879 at the seminal
Battle of Isandlwana.
Featuring, among others, Nhlakanipho Maphumulo as Mnyamana,
who also stars as Nduna in the popular local soapie, Uzalo, King Cetshwayo, the Musical is the brainchild of
award-winning thespian, playwright and arts administrator Jerry Pooe as the
writer and director. The prodigious Mbuso Khoza is the music director.
Pooe said: "Last year, King Cetshwayo, the Musical premiered in Wales to huge acclaim
during the The King Cetshwayo Celebrations to mark 135 years since King
Cetshwayo, the legendary Zulu monarch, was in the UK. Members of the Zulu Royal
household were in attendance. It is fitting that the Zulu royals grace the
South African premiere of the production at The Playhouse when the production
has its South African run.”
A fervent believer in arts and heritage preservation,
education and youth empowerment, Pooe added that schoolchildren will get a rare
chance to learn about the positives of African, particularly Zulu, history.
"It’s befitting that schoolchildren will get a rare
opportunity to see Africans portrayed in a positive light, as evidenced by the
epic victory of King Cetshwayo’s regiments against Queen Victoria’s well-armed
troops. It is important for them to know and understand the history of South
Africans as narrated by South Africans themselves. For them, there will be
shows at 10h00," he said.
King Cetshwayo, the
Musical runs in The Playhouse Drama from June 20 to 23, 2018, with shows at
19h00. Tickets R50 booked through Computicket and at the Playhouse.
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