The story of one of the world’s most iconic figures, Nelson Mandela, is brought to the stage in this epic and original musical. Wales Millennium Centre and Cape Town Opera present the story of one of the world’s most iconic figures.
It follows Mandela from tribal initiation rites on the banks of the Mbashe River and heady and rebellious jazz-fuelled days in Sophiatown, to incarceration and reflection on Robben Island and finally freedom and liberation.
Cape Town Opera’s celebration of Mandela’s life is a spectacular portrait of a man who touched hearts and minds around the world. Presented in three parts, by a cast of over 60 performers including three different incarnations of Mandela, the contrasting phases of his journey are recreated through strikingly divergent styles of music.
The upbeat jazz- and swing-influenced songs of Sophiatown in the central section of the piece are framed on either side by more familiar contemporary opera forms. A dash of authentic Xhosa folk music grounds the production in the sounds and culture of South Africa.
The work of two different composers, Mandela Trilogy reflects both a life of extraordinary contrasts, and an overarching theme of unflinching courage in the face of adversity.
An inspirational musical retelling that reaches far beyond any boundary, reflecting on a life of extraordinary contrasts and unflinching courage in the face of adversity.
Event Time & Date: 31/08/2016 – 03/09/2016
Venue details : Southbank Centre | Belvedere Road | London SE1 8XX
Organiser: Southbank Centre | customer@southbankcentre.co.uk | 020 7960 4200
Event website: Africa Utopia
Event cost: £15 – £45 | Premium Seats £60
About Africa Utopia
In 2012 Southbank Centre launched Africa Utopia, a festival dedicated to bringing art and ideas from Africa and the African diaspora to audiences in the UK. We ask what the West can learn from this rapidly changing continent.
The festival’s first four years have featured the award-winning Senegalese musician and human-rights activist Baaba Maal, afrobeat legend Tony Allen, former First Lady of Somaliland and hospital founder Edna Adan, Kenyan creative collective The Nest, Township Tech originator Spoek Mathambo, ‘godfather of Ethiopian jazz’ Mulatu Astatke and the Kinshasa Symphony orchestra.