Stephenson, Campbell & van Dijk’s
Mandela Trilogy
A musical tribute to the extraordinary life of Nelson Mandela
From prisoner to President and from Nobel Laureate to revered statesman, Nelson Mandela is hailed across the globe as a treasured icon. The life of this great man who changed the course of South African history is a fascinating and inspiring tale, now told as an on stage cultural showpiece. Mandela Trilogy celebrates the vibrant variety of South African music while dramatising the defining moments that shaped Mandela’s life.
Mandela Trilogy is Cape Town Opera’s musical tribute to the extraordinary life of Nelson Mandela, written by Michael Williams with music by Allan Stephenson, Mike Campbell and Peter Louis van Dijk. The production begins its South African tour at Sand du Plessis, Bloemfontein for two performances only on Friday, 22 July and Saturday, 23 July 2011 followed by four performances at the Playhouse, Durban from 29 July to 31 July 2011. Thereafter the show moves to the Teatro at Montecasino, Johannesburg for six performances from Saturday, 13 August 2011 to Friday, 19 August 2011. Tickets on sale at Computicket.
Presented by Cape Town Opera and Rand Merchant Bank in association with KayaFM, Mandela Trilogy is a major home-grown work featuring the multiple award winning South African singer and recording artist, Gloria Bosman in a leading role. The entirely South African cast includes singers Aubrey Lodewyk (Jake in Porgy & Bess, La Traviata, Prince Yamadori in Madame Butterfly); Schock Foundation Competition winner, Nozuko Teto (operatic roles include the Marschallin in Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier, Adina in Donizetti’s L’elisir D’Amore; oratorio performances include Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Mendelssohn’s Elijah). Award-winning musical theatre performer, international movie actor and star of the small screen, Aubrey Poo has also joined the cast of Mandela Trilogy.
With the world’s eyes focused on South Africa in 2010, writer Michael Williams felt the time was right to create a large-scale stage work about the life of Nelson Mandela. Faced with subject matter so complex and significant to our nation, Williams settled on a multifaceted triptych structure, concentrating on three key periods in Madiba’s life, each composed in a different musical style.
Mandela Trilogy concentrates on three key periods in Madiba’s life, each composed in a different musical style making this piece unique, interesting and appealing to a varied audience. Mandela Trilogy opens with an oratorio dramatising formative moments in Mandela’s early years in the Transkei, as composer Allan Stephenson weaves traditional Xhosa songs into a classical framework. Mandela as revolutionary is brought to life in Mike Campbell’s jazzy Sophiatown act, before Peter Louis van Dijk’s final act examines the Robben Island years and the final walk to freedom.
All bookings at the Theatres or online www.computicket.com
