The Wales Millennium Centre and Cape Town Opera have announced that the Mandela Trilogy will be embarking on a UK and Ireland tour from the 24th August to the 24th September 2016.
Written and directed by Michael Williams, the Mandela Trilogy is a musical tribute to the life of Nelson Mandela and had its European premiere at the Wales Millennium Centre in 2012.
Graeme Farrow, Artistic and Creative Director at Wales Millennium Centre said: “I’m delighted we are able to share the story of Nelson Mandela’s heroic and inspirational life, two years after his death. This tour is another step in the development of collaborative and exchange projects between the Centre and our strategic partner – Cape Town Opera.”
From the tribal initiation rites on the banks of the Mbashe River to the heady and jazz-fuelled days in Sophiatown to his incarceration on Robben Island and then freedom, this is the truly remarkable story of a man who touched hearts and minds of people all around the world.
Mandela’s incredible story is told in three parts in Cape Town Opera’s large scale celebration. Featuring the music of Peter Louis van Dijk and Mike Campbell, the production also features a cast and orchestra of over 60 South African performers.
The music is a combination of jazz and swing-influenced Sophiatown music along with music that is more commonly associated with contemporary opera with a hint of Xhosa folk music, that grounds the production’s African roots.
It has been written by two different composers, with each act being in stark contrast to the others, but at the same time with a dramatic theme that shines a light on the life of an extraordinary man.
The dates of the tour are:
24th-27th August: Wales Millennium Centre
31st August – 3rd September: Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre
7th-10th September: Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
14th-17th September:Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin
20th-21st September: Birmingham Hippodrome
23rd-24th September: Lowry Theatre, Salford
For more information and to book tickets visit: http://mandelatrilogy.com/ .