Sifiso’s ‘political’ Marvin gets it on in London
LAST Tuesday was a big night for South African actor Sifiso Mazibuko. As he made his debut on London’s West End, playing the role of musical icon Marvin Gaye, his wife went into labour with their first child.
And while the birth of his daughter was one of the highlights of his life, the 28-yearold says his role in Motown The Musical is his biggest career achievement so far.
Mazibuko has come a long way since starring in a washing powder advert, where the overnight shoot was so long he needed eye drops to mask the exhaustion.
The West End show, based on the life and career of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, opened to critical acclaim last week at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London.
A write-up in the Daily Telegraph referred to Mazibuko as a “brooding, increasingly politicised Marvin Gaye”.
“The West End is just a dream come true,” said Mazibuko, but confessed to not knowing much about Gaye, famous for hits such as Let’s Get it On, Sexual Healing and I Heard it Through the Grapevine.
To prepare, Mazibuko listened to Gaye’s music, watched “loads” of videos and read Gordy’s and Gaye’s biographies.
He was also privy to inside information. “Mr Gordy, as we address him, came and spent time with us in rehearsal and worked with us on our scenes. He was able to tell me how Marvin really was.”
Mazibuko landed the role by chance, when his audition for one of the hyenas in The Lion King resulted in a callback — but not the one he was expecting.
“After the audition, I got an e-mail asking if I’d be interested in auditioning for the role . . . The rest, as they say, is history.”
While his hours are demanding — working six days a week stepping out for eight shows — the Kimberley-born actor now enjoys adulation from capacity audiences who have flocked to see the musical.
“I am honoured to be in the position I am in, but I’m only at the beginning of this London journey,” Mazibuko said.
An hour before he was due on stage for opening night, his wife Melonie’s water broke. Because the contractions hadn’t started, she decided to stay for the show. But by interval the contractions had set in, so she made her way to the hospital.
“They sent her home to monitor her contractions,” said Mazibuko, who rushed to his wife’s side as soon as the show had finished. Their daughter, Nolitha, was born early the next day. “I’m just over the moon. She’s such an amazing blessing. Now I have more reason to work hard.”
The actor and dancer honed his skills at the Tshwane University of Technology, where he studied musical theatre, graduating cum laude.
As part of his portrayal of Gaye, Mazibuko has had to take on a “lyrical” American accent. For this he drew inspiration from his time in the US, where he spent three years studying towards a Master of Fine Arts in acting on a scholarship from Ohio State University. This was just before he and Melonie moved to London.
Mazibuko — a former junior mayor of Kimberley — said he had initially wanted to be a lawyer or a politician, but the acting bug bit. He has done commercials and appeared in the Afrikaans movie Pretville . In 2011, he was an understudy in the local version of Dreamgirls The Musical.
Mazibuko hopes to return to South Africa one day, but it won’t be any time soon, as the show’s run has been extended to February next year.