The Song of Jacob Zulu

The Song of Jacob Zulu is a play with music in two acts by Tug Yourgrau (19**-)[1] with music by Ladysmith Black Mambazo and lyrics by Yourgrau and Joseph Shabalala (1941-2020) [2].

The original text

Written Yourgrau by and produced by the Steppenwolf Theater Company, the musical piece tells the story of the son of a minister, Jacob Zulu, who is slowly drawn to membership in the African National Congress. Originally committed to non-violence, he is gradually radicalized and trained in militant tactics. Instructed to set off a bomb in a mall, he fails to contact and alert the mall of the bomb, and it ends up killing four people, thertee of them chidren, and injuring 50. The play deals with his trial and feelings of guilt.

The play opened at the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago, in the spring of 1992 and them moved to the Plymouth Theater, New York in April, 1993.

Directed by Eric Simonson (1960-)[], with a large cast that included K. Todd Freeman, Zakes Mokae and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Scenic design was by Kevin Rigdon, costumes by Erin Quigley, sound by Rob Milburn and lighting by Robert Christen.

Despite negative reviews for the play text itself, the production received positive comments about the music and was ultimately nominated for six Tony Awards, including Best Music for a Play, with performers Joseph Shabalala and Ladysmith Black Mambazo receiving the prestigious Drama Desk Award for Best Original Score.

Translations and adaptations

Performance history in South Africa

As far as can be ascertained, the play has not been performed in South Africa yet.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Shabalala

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tug_Yourgrau

Jeremy Gerard. 1993. "The Song of Jacob Zulu", Variety 25 March 1993[3]

Michael Kuchwara. 1993. "The Song of Jacob Zulu Opens on Broadway", AP News, 25 March 1993[4].

Richard Christiansen. 1995. "Nomathemba raises hopes, and fulfills them", The Chicago Tribune 10 April 1995.[5]

J. Wynn Rousuck. 1996. "Nomathemba sings of hope, wariness, Theater Review: Musical is joyous storytelling, but offers a reminder of what was in apartheid South Africa", The Baltimore Sun, 23 April, 1996[6]

https://calperformances.org/learn/program_notes/2005/pn_Ladysmith.pdf

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