Music played important role during struggle
I’M CURRENTLY watching Rise, which stars Josh Radnor as an English teacher who decides he wants to contribute to his school’s drama department by staging the controversial play Spring Awakening. It gets everyone riled up. The principal, head of drama and the parents are against the play. One pupil is even pulled from it and sent to another school.
One of the many challenges he faces is raising funds for a set that will do the play justice. He wants to rattle the small town of Stanton and for that he needs a good budget for the set, lights, sound and costumes.
I couldn’t help thinking of Rise when I watched the revival of Gibson Kente’s How Long? What a struggle it must have been to stage the play in the 1970s. He did not know whether the government would shut it because of the material and whether he would have enough funding for a proper set. There was none of that in the revival of the play, now on at The Playhouse until next Sunday.
Directed by Duma kandlovu with choreography by Somizi Mhlongo, music direction by Phelelani Mnomiya and set design by Kickstart’s Greg King, the Playhouse has a major hit with How Long?
The set is simple and yet effective, which is expected from the Naledi and Fleur du Cap-winning King. The row of matchbox houses which were (and still are) prevalent in the townships during the apartheid era form the backdrop to the story of a community battling with the effects apartheid. Through the set, King transports us to ’70s Soweto, giving us a taste of what is was like to live in these houses which were so small and yet had so much love inside.
This is not another sad play about the atrocities of apartheid. It’s a musical which reminds us of the important role music played in the struggle – a way for people to temporarily forget where they were while also documenting the struggle. The gifted cast more than came to the party and the play is all the richer for their commitment.
In the play, Twala (Mondli Makhoba) is doing his best to find money to keep his son Afrika (Lungelo Ndlovu) in school. Afrika is clever and very politically aware and his not having a passbook gives his father sleepless nights. Khulu (Thembi Mtshali-jones), the matriarch, tries to shield the family from what is happening in Soweto and the country.
The songs will move you – to tears, anger or applause. Khaya Dladla’s contribution confirms his talent, while Mtshali-jones rendered a performance that earned her well-deserved applause on opening night. Mlamli Ningiza was a highlight with his incredible voice.
The dancing is exceptional, mainly thanks to the leadership of Vusi Majola, assistant choreographer on the show, which moves from the sounds of Kofifi to Zion Christian music, where the music and choreography shine.
People are shown responding to that terrible time by drowning their sorrows in liquor or seeking spiritual guidance. How Long? is a beautiful story of a family dealing with the horrors of apartheid and police brutality. It reminds us of the price people paid for the freedom we enjoy today.