Director: Albert Klein Kranenburg
The South African tradition of isicathamiya, a unique and distinctive form of a cappella choral singing, first came to international attention via Ladysmith Black Mambazo when they featured on Paul Simon’s album Graceland and later in their own right.
In some of the filmed inserts featuring members of the cast of South African Road Trip: Good Hope, men talk about being inspired by Ladysmith Black Mambazo at the start of their own musical journeys. The men are now part of the Khayelitsha United Mambazo Choir, who form the bulk of the performers in this Dutch-produced show.
The all-male choir are joined by four Xhosa women, giving a wider and more varied sound to the already beautiful isicathamiya. As the whole company processes onto the stage in a slow shuffle, it’s immediately refreshing to see a variety of ages and body shapes on stage.
Normally at the Peacock one might expect a dance-based show, but here the movement is less about performing to music and more about expressing the joy in the music. The choir sing while in constant motion, walking on the spot and occasionally performing high kicks. The women get to move around more – particularly the exuberant Xoliswa Tom, who works the stage well in the show’s opening numbers.
The two large video screens, which often show pictures of the townships around Cape Town the ensemble hails from, also include interviews with the cast about their life before and during their time with the group. There are hints about darker times – of siblings passing away, of abusive fathers, of receiving punishment beatings. These are never dwelt upon but, instead, lead into the joyful experience of letting music into one’s heart and letting its love elevate one out of a bad situation.
There is a definite spiritual aspect to some of the performances. Sometimes that is in direct reference to church choral work, but at other times the spirituality is harder to pin down – whether it’s from the lyrical and musical repetition or the power of a choice working in joyful unison.
As the evening progresses, the Xhosa women begin to come to the fore, including a song dominated by the distinctive vocal clicks of the language. Musician Lungiswa Theodora Plaatjies begins to take a central role, especially when she brings out her mbira nyunga nyunga, the instrument whose metal tines she plucks to produce a unique, distinctive sound. She describes it as her “soulmate”, and it’s not hard to see, or hear, why.
Starting off in a variety of everyday clothes in primary colours, the ensemble change into more traditional folk costumes, before ending in loud, vibrant, jubilant prints. It means that the hour and a half of music comes to an end, and everything is as bright and happy as the cast and audience themselves are. It’s a colourful end to an evening that feels like a physical manifestation of joy.
Continues until 30 October 2022
