South African State Theatre is excited to announce the opening of Computicket bookings for one of theatre's most hailed master blockbuster musicals Sarafina!. The early bird catches the worm – be the first one to book and qualify for discount and special prices.
SAST, in association with Mbongeni Ngema and his company Committed Artists Theatricals, presents the well-known award winning Broadway production, Sarafina!
One of this country’s most iconic symbols of the struggle for social and political freedom and justice, Sarafina!, was conceived and directed by Mbongeni Ngema, who also wrote the book, music and lyrics, with additional songs by Hugh Masekela.
This Broadway hit musical is a musical experience with songs performed in the tradition of Mbaqanga, fused with jazz, rhythm and blues and gospel. This proudly South African musical, set during the 1976 uprisings in Soweto, deals with the radicalisation of a young school girl who becomes embroiled in the riots and is tortured by the South African Police. The musical is set in the Morris Isaacson High School against the backdrop of students revolting against Afrikaans being used as a medium of instruction. It will be a pleasure to present this work again after we resurrected the original version in 2004 when we celebrated ten years of democracy in South Africa.
During its second run at the State Theatre in 2004, the production attracted more than 25 000 people with twenty seven performances; it will surely attract much needed audiences to our theatre. It is a winner and with challenges facing our educational system, arts and culture must step up and help us look back and remember that this democracy was achieved through blood and tears and that education is a right and not a privilege.
The play was created in June 1986 and premiered at The Market Theatre in Johannesburg in June 1987, with Leleti Khumalo in the title role as the school girl activist, Sarafina.
The powerhouse musical took Broadway by storm in January 1988 during black history month culminating in a 2 year run on Broadway and a 5 year tour of the United States of America concurrently. A second cast of Sarafina! which also premiered at the Market Theatre in 1988 went on a world tour for 4 years which included the UK, Europe, Australia, Japan and West Africa. Sarafina! was later converted into a Hollywood Feature Film starring Whoopi Goldberg and Leleti Khumalo, Mbongeni Ngema, John Kani and Miriam Makeba. The soundtrack produced by Mbongeni Ngema and Quincy Jones captured the imagination of the world and iconicity engraved Sarafina! as a symbol of African triumph and hope the world over.
The NAACP (National Advancement of Coloured Peoples) movement saluted this giant endeavour by an African son of the soil, Mbongeni Ngema, with 11 image awards in Hollywood. A Grammy award nomination and 5 Tony Award nominations were bestowed in his honour.
The year 2016 marks 30 years of Sarafina! and 40 years of the Soweto student uprisings. The youth is being encouraged to come and be part of the revival of Sarafina!.
Sarafina! is proudly funded by the National Department of Arts and Culture.
The production will be playing Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 March 2017 to 20 May 2017.
Prices:
- R100 Students
- R120 Balcony
- R150 Stalls
- R180 Mezzanine