Wednesday, October 1, 1997
African epic combines Shakespearean spirit
THEATER: Fusing stories of 'Macbeth,' King Shaka create universal themes
By Nerissa Pacio
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Director and playwright Welcome Msomi envisions an updated, multicultural, future production of the musical "Westside Story," complete with Asian dancing, Hispanic music and black gospel voices.
It's no wonder that he has already created and traveled the world with "Umabatha: The Zulu Macbeth," which makes its Los Angeles premiere Thursday at the Wiltern Theater. As a retelling of a South African epic, Msomi defies cultural borders by employing Shakespeare's tragedy "Macbeth" in his production.
"I think when God created the world, he didn't have boundaries, passports or separate continents in mind. So I said, the only way to prove it is to go for this type of production where Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' is paralleled with the story of King Shaka," Msomi says. "When we look at music, stories and different events, it all begins to become one universal story. That is how I looked at it - it all made perfect sense."
After the original cast toured the world beginning in 1969, making an avant-garde theatrical mark in countries such as Africa, England and Italy, the production folded a decade later at Msomi's will. Only after Msomi met President Nelson Mandela in New York in 1991 did the director even consider a revival.
"President Mandela looked at me and said, 'I know you. You are Welcome Msomi - where is "Umabatha?"' I was shocked that he knew about me and my play. He said, 'When are we going to see it?' And I said, 'Well, now that you have asked for it, you are going to see it.'"
And so the 45-member "Umabatha" was reborn in all its living splendor.
Incorporating Shakespeare's timeless themes of ambition, deceit, love, hate and fear, "Umabatha" dramatizes the history of 19th-century Africa during the Scottish thane Shaka Zulu's reign through song and dance.
Almost as an unnecessary accesory to the production, the work performed in Zulu projects English supertitles above the stage. Msomi has shaped the performance so that those unfamiliar with the Zulu language or even the story of Macbeth can easily follow along.
"The way the actors act, the way the music is played, and the strength of expressions makes it easy to follow the story. The dancing and drums give you the whole picture even if you don't know Macbeth. You know from the scenes of violence the story of a king and how this king dies."
Even after all the comparisons to Shakespeare's sinister play, and after adopting "Macbeth" in its title, "Umabatha" maintains a starkly contrasting element of joyous exuberance in the performance, despite its tragic Shakespearean couterpart.
"This is not a modernized version of 'Macbeth,'" Msomi says. "When you watch 'Umabatha,' you will laugh. When I saw 'Macbeth,' I never laughed. In [the] Zulu culture, we celebrate the death of a king, the ritual. We celebrate the deeds and contributions in life, and we remember the funny moments that were part of that individual."
Instead of simply replacing Shakespeare's characters with African historical figures, Msomi uses "Macbeth" as a reference point.
"I took Shakespearean themes and put them in the Zulu idiom. It is the story of Zulu culture," Msomi maintains.
The highlight of "Umabatha's" first international run has been the literal merging of the Shakespearean spirit with African culture when it was performed at the Globe Theater and much later followed by its post-apartheid Johannesburg performance, attended by Mandela as well as the Zulu king himself in 1995. But Msomi looks forward to yet another performance pique in L.A.
"I think it'll bring a new dimension to 'Umabatha.' Through the diversity of cultures in L.A. there is a lot you can gain. Hopefully someone out there will say after watching it, 'Hey, we have so many cultures in L.A., why not combine them to form a story? Like a new version of 'Westside Story'? Maybe that will be one of my next projects," Msomi chuckles.
With vividly hued costumes and intricately designed African drums, "Umabatha: The Zulu Macbeth" seeks Zulu authenticity in style, culture and history. In a tragic story of a king's downfall and eventual death, Umabatha ironically celebrates life.
"We plan to go to the more rural areas of Africa among other countries to share this culture and history. I believe when a nation loses its soul, it loses its foundation. People lose something about themselves," Msomi says. "It's important that 'Umabatha' leaves a legacy behind."
THEATER: "Umabatha: The Zulu Macbeth" opens Thursday at the Wiltern Theater. For information, call 310-825-2101.
GENEVIEVE LIANG / Daily Bruin
Welcome Msomi directs "Umbatha: The Zulu Macbeth."
"It all begins to become one universal story."
Welcome Msomi
Director/playwright