/ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT/THEATRE-BRITAIN: Mediaeval Medium Tells A New South African Story

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Beverly Andrews

LONDON, Apr 9 2002 (IPS) - A string of mediaeval mysteries has come alive on stage in London to speak of a new South Africa.

The Mysteries, as the new production is called, shows the emerging racial integration within South Africa’s arts community. Despite all obstacles, South Africa has also witnessed many successes. This production is a shining example of that dramatic shift.

The Mysteries are originally a collection of stories which date back to Europe in the Middle Ages. They were performed usually around Easter to commemorate the birth, death and resurrection of Christ. They were devised mainly to teach religious history to a largely illiterate population in Christian countries. But they have been interpreted to present contemporary themes.

This production was put together by Britain-based Broomhill Opera. But the cast and many of the production staff are from South Africa.

It is a striking achievement for many of the actors who had never performed professionally on stage before. “Eighteen months ago in south Africa Dick Enhover asked the director and musical director of Broomhill Opera to come to South Africa and put together a company,” says Pipa Meyers, the company manager. They travelled to South Africa and auditioned more than a thousand singers.

Many were extraordinary. “I think this is due mainly to the fact that so many young people there join choirs, and music becomes a very big part of their lives,” says Meyers. The directors selected a company of 75, of whom 40 were brought to London. Their dazzling production has taken London by storm and has become one of the hottest tickets in town.

The production combines elements of drama and traditional South African music as well as opera. It was first staged at the Spear Festival in South Africa. From there ot went to Perth in Australia, and then finally came to London.

The production begins with elements of a school pantomime, perhaps because many of the performers are very young and inexperienced. But the style quickly becomes gripping.

There are some striking moments, as when Satan is cast down from Heaven. The is a standard story in the original Mysteries, and it is presented in visually arresting style when Satan is flung through a set of trap doors surrounded by flames.

The actors present these classic stories in an innovative way, often incorporating elements of South African history. Jesus moves at times like Mandela. He even does a little dance of the kind Mandela does on occasion. Cain and Abel are played by a black and a white actor respectively who speak different languages. One brother kills the other, a reference to the terrible treatment of black South Africans by whites, when they should have been like brothers.

The show challenges preconceived wisdom on how The Mysteries should be presented and manages to combine opera with religious pageantry to astounding effect.

The production has been received enthusiastically, and this has overwhelmed many of the performers. “Every night when we take our curtain calls we receive a standing ovation,” says actor Sandile Kampe.

That is something which rarely happened in South Africa. For some, “seeing an inter-racial company is a challenge,” he says. “When we would perform there and take our curtain calls you could feel their enjoyment but also their reserve.”

But Kampe is equally bemused by the reaction in Britain to him as a white South African. “They ask me very strange questions like do they kill all the white people there,” he says. “I can only laugh and point out that since I am standing here alive then obviously the answer is no. Yes, we have our problems but we also have our hopes and now when I travel I can say proudly I am South African.”

The Mysteries premiered in London at Wilton Music Hall a largely disused theatre run by Broomhill Opera. The company then took the show to Queen’s Theatre in London’s West End, home to some of the world’s most successful theatre.

The Mysteries will continue its run at Queen’s Theatre until mid-May. It will then be staged in the U.S. in New Haven and at the Spoleto Festival in South Carolina before returning to South Africa.

Broomhill Opera now plans a new production, also to be staged in South Africa. “We hope to go through the same process that we did before,” says Meyers. “We will audition throughout the country with the hope of bringing in new performers. What we aim to do is to establish a process through which we can continue to give talented performers a platform for their work and also act as a stepping stone for their singing careers.”