Dancing the death drill

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Dancing the death drill

At the Joburg Theatre for the opening of "Dancing the death drill", packed house, energy palpable, euphoric. So much excitement, there were even soldiers in uniform. My all time favorite performer stars in it, Sharon Spiegel-Wagner. A truly beautiful woman. She speaks French in this one, I rest my case.


What a wonderful theatrical production. I was ecstatic to see Thuli Thabethe, she used to star in a sitcom I used to love "City Sesla". She played Phumzile, I used to have the biggest crush on Phumi. She plays Matshidiso in this one, the mother of the lead, Pitso Motaung. Her biggest contribution to her son is "don't be a desserter like your father". Pitso is a mixed breed, his father is white and his mother black but he identifies as a black Sesotho man. The play is in English but contains dialogue in Sesotho for realism. Clint Brink is a revelation, he speaks Sesotho so well. He plays a character who is accused of a double murder, he is in chains and he is interrogated.


The play has three narrators and they take turns telling the story. They use language that is descriptive and evokes imagery. The monologues are passionate and full of life and personality.  iComplete are the band and they are simply irresistible throughout, the singing and backup is amazing. The violinist, Nakedi "Ace" Phenyo is mezmarrizing, he is in the background for most of the show and is not seen but heard. Towards the end, he comes on in the middle of the stage with the other performers while playing his violin, everyone has eyes on him, he is spellbinding, he had the audience standing up and applauding. However, It was the Luthando Arts Academy who stole the show. They dance with cohesion, chemistry and conviction. In sync, perfect choreography, they make full use of the huge Joburg Theatre stage to perfection, they are outstanding!

The play is based on the sinking of the SS Mendi in 1917, a British troopship carrying over 800 South African men. The ship sank in the English Channel after a collision, resulting in the deaths of over 600 men, many of them Black South Africans. Writer Fred Khumalo reimagines this tragedy through the eyes of Pitso Motaung, a fictional character who rises from a humble background in South Africa to become a soldier. The story is adapted for the stage by Palesa Mazamisa and James Ngcobo. The set is the SS Mendi, we are on a boat and Charlie Bougenon's character Portsmouth is the captain. I cracked up when he instructed one of his men to lick off his spit on the ground and he did, talk about running a tight ship.

This is a wonderful production with a lot of enthusiasm. The lighting is awesome and the acting, singing, dancing and overall storytelling is just world-class. 


Congratulations James Ngcobo and the whole team for a great show and a deserved standing ovation.


📷: SamSays 


https://youtu.be/nIxVhKKviLs?si=GyRCMy3AXUm5l6aF

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