Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay
Wed 24 – Sat 27 Aug
The Cape Town Opera return to Wales once again with their celebrated Mandela Trilogy. The opera, which celebrates and vibrantly tells the story of Nelson Mandela’s life on stage in two hours and three acts asks audiences to revaluate everything they know about the South African icon, saying “If think you know Nelson Mandela, think again”. In this colourful celebration of the man who touched the hearts and minds of people around the world, the amazing life of Nelson Mandela is brought vividly to the stage on an unprecedented scale.
The opera follows the uplifting story of Mandela’s transformation from freedom fighter to president. It’s laden with a soundtrack of upbeat jazz and swing-influenced songs fused with musical styles more familiar in contemporary opera, as well as a mix of Xhosa folk music that grounds the production in its African roots. From tribal initiation rites on the banks of the Mbashe River, through the heady and rebellious jazz-fuelled days in Sophiatown, to incarceration and reflection on Robben Island and finally beyond, to freedom, this is the story of one of the world’s most iconic figures.
Performed by a company of over 60 South African performers, with music by Peter Louis van Dijk and Mike Campbell, a script written and directed by Michael Williams, and performed by the world renowned Cape Town Opera company, Mandela Trilogy is as much a musical treat as it is historically informative.
Tickets: £14-£53. Info: 029 2063 6464 / www.wmc.org.uk
words EMILY GARSIDE