Times Of Swaziland: Ngema impressed  with attendance

Ngema impressed  with attendance
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BY NOMBULELO MATSEBULA on 27/08/2013 02:17:00


MBABANE - ‘The Zulu’ came to an end on Sunday afternoon after seven days of
thrilling performances by South African stage luminary Mbongeni Ngema.
Ngema played to a standing ovation at the Royal Swazi Convention Centre on
Sunday afternoon. The legendary playwright, actor and singer said he had a great
show in the country and was impressed with the attendance.
“What I enjoyed the most was that even though Swazis are not into theatre,
they attended the show and enjoyed it. This show planted a seed for Swaziland
for theatre. I had a great time throughout and I am grateful for the support,”
Ngema said.
Packed
‘The Zulu’ packed theatre lovers who enjoyed the play which was punctuated
with traditional Zulu songs, written by the Ngema with Maskandi artist
Matshitshi Ngema. All the songs were specifically written for the show.
The audience was transfixed on stage as Ngema told of the memories of his
childhood spent in the heart of Zululand, with the grandeur of his heritage,
bringing vividly to life the historic panoply of the Zulu nation.
‘The Zulu’ follows the story of Ngema’s musical of the same title, only in
more depth.  The show has been in the creative pipeline for several years.
Inspired
It is inspired by the experiences he had as a child, listening to the wonderful
stories of heroic deeds that his great-grandmother shared with him.
It is the very history of the Zulu nation that springs to life as Mbongeni Ngema
shares his important new play with today’s audiences, performed to the
accompaniment of noted maskandi star, Matshitshi Ngema.
Famed for the string of international stage block-busters Ngema has created and
produced, including Asinamali, Sarafina!, Magic at 4 AM, Mama, The House of
Shaka, Lion of the East, among others. He last appeared on stage as an actor 27
years ago, in a production of the internationally celebrated Woza Albert.
Ngema’s skills as a story-teller kept a wealth of the Zulu history alive, both
about their family background and proud roots as members of the Zulu nation.