(Percy
Mtwa & Mbongeni Ngema)
It felt like a gift to be part of this
monumental moment. (Review by Philisiwe Twijnstra)
Woza
Albert is an award-winning play written by Percy
Mtwa, Mbongeni Ngema and Barney Simon and directed by Chris John.
The play is well written, it serves the
build-up of the play, with punchlines and each character arch follows the
through line of the story. It made the audience feel the need of Morena’s
arrival.
As you enter the theatre, you are greeted
with minimal yet multi-purpose stage setting; two wooden square boxes inside
the boxes which have a few items used as props and behind it, there is a rail
with different clothes hanging on it.
The two actors Bab’ Ngema and Bab’ Mtwa
play roles of various black South Africans - a vendor, barber, servant, manual
labourer, soldier - receiving the news that Christ (Morena) has arrived in
South Africa where apartheid has foisted, and impoverished, black lives.
Christ's arrival triggers a crisis, and the government launches a bomb against
the Morena. In the ruins, great South African leaders in resistance to
apartheid such as Albert Luthuli, former president of the African National
Congress, are resurrected. This play has crucial connotations to events from
the Bible and structurally it shows influences of Waiting for Godot.
Interestingly, when the Zulu boy
(exceptionally played by Bab’ Ngema) asked Morena (played excellently by Bab’
Mtwa) to raise the struggle warriors, the audience responded warmly. It
reflected where we are as a nation - we need a different Morena. In addition, I
also felt that back in 1983 which was when the play was performed; this story
was their reality and some of the pieces of the story have become our reality in
2018.
I am utterly grateful to have watched this
play. It was an experience to sit in the auditorium, waiting to see the
original cast of Woza Albert playing in the Playhouse Loft. It felt like a gift to be part of this monumental moment,
witnessing the actors embodying different characters from a little boy to an
elderly lady with clear precision and perfect synchronicity of voice, body, sound,
breath and movement, creating images using few words and actions, watching both
actors excelling and sharing their talent of storytelling is astonishing and
breathtaking.
I urge every actor in Durban to watch this
play. Let’s fill up the seats … of the Loft. The play moves into the Playhouse Drama
from December 27.
Woza
Albert runs in the Playhouse until December 30.
Booking is at Computicket. – Philisiwe Twijnstra
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