The two-man ensemble theatre piece Woza Albert! is a classic of the South African stage.
Written by the late Barney Simon, in collaboration with performers Percy Mtwa and Mbongeni Ngema, it is considered one of the finest examples of anti-apartheid art. Its manner of
physical-theatre storytelling influenced theatre practitioners internationally as it travelled the world. It opened at the Market Theatre in 1981 and this week celebrates its third decade on the boards with a production starring Mncedisi Baldwin Shabangu and Hamilton Ntokozo Dlamini, two seasoned actors who, like the play, started their careers in Newtown. The satire depicts a moment when Christ returns to apartheid South Africa. Directed by Prince Lamla.
Barney Simon Theatre, Market Theatre complex, Newtown, from January 10 to February 5. Performances are from Tuesday to Saturday at 8.15pm and on Sunday at 3.15pm. Tel: 011 832 1641.
? It’s retro season at the Market Theatre. In addition to Woza Albert!, the venue is staging Anthony Akerman’s anti-war drama Somewhere on the Border. Seasoned theatre practitioner André Odendaal directs this work, which was written in exile and banned in publication by the apartheid censors. The reasons cited, according to the production notes, were the play’s offensive language and the fact that its portrayal of the South African armed forces was “prejudicial to the safety of the state”.
The play opened at the National Arts Festival (then nicknamed the Grahamstown Festival) in 1986 and it caused a minor scandal. It apparently “attracted the attention of the Military Police in Cape Town, who confiscated the actors’ army browns they were wearing as costumes and, while performing in Johannesburg, two actors were severely assaulted by members of the defence force’s Civil Co-operation Bureau in an unsuccessful attempt to shut down the production”. A bunch of young men, thrown together by compulsory conscription, reveal the dark side of masculinity in an intense psychological drama.
Main Theatre, Market Theatre complex, Newtown, from January 10 to February 12. Performances run from Tuesday to Saturday at 8pm and on Sunday at 3pm. Tel: 011 832 1641.
? Director Lara Bye’s production of Yellowman returns to the Market Theatre almost half a decade after its initial Jo’burg run. The work, based on a play written by American Dael Orlandersmith, is a love story set in South Carolina that features Mwenya Kabwe as Alma and David Johnson as Gene. The production is marked by quick-witted dialogue and solid performances, exploring the relationships of Gene and his father and Alma and her mother.
The plot is driven relentlessly by that oldest of American obsessions, colour. The result of this pathological need for a whiter hue is a deep-lying, self-destructive hatred that ends in entrapment and death. If the plot was only about death, it would have been too much to bear but the fact that it is also a moving love story helps to enliven the plot.
Laager Theatre, Market Theatre complex, Newtown, from January 10 to February 5. Performances run from Tuesday to Saturday at 8.15pm and on Sunday at 3.15pm. Tel: 011 832 1641.