Soweto Theatre is proud to showcase the stellar production of The Manhattan Brothers Tribute, starring the dynamic Mmatema Moremi and soul group Complete.
The tribute musical is a creative piece choreographed by Idols Judge and personality Somizi Mhlongo. The production is running from December 8th to 18th.
From Soweto, Somizi is a celebrated choreographer and entertainer with a career of almost 30 years. He is excited to be part of the production, having been influenced by the music of the then popular group.
The Manhattan Brothers are a popular South African acapella singing group made up of the late founding member and lead singer Nathan “Dambuza” Mdledle, Joe Mogotsi, Ronnie Sehume and Rufus Khoza. Mariam Makeba, who went on to international fame, started her career with The Manhattan Brothers and was part of the group for much of the 1950’s. The group has one US Billboard pop chart hit, “Lovely Lies” which peaked at No 45 in March 1956. In 1959, the quartet joined the company of King Kong, the first black South African musical. When the production reached England, the band decided to remain there.
The group recorded three English/Zulu pop albums before calling it a day in 1965.
The role of Miriam Makeba will be portrayed by Mmatema Moremi.
Mmatema is a singer, songwriter and actress, and rose to fame in 2015 as the runner-up on the eleventh season of South African Idols.
Mmatema’s powerful voice will be cushioned by Complete, a local acapella group that will portray The Manhattan Brothers; Mluleki Chuma, Bubele Mgele, Bonginkosi Motha and Happy Motha.
Complete has worked with a variety of South African artists including Hugh Masekela, Themba Mkhize and the SWR Big Band from Germany. Their musical theatre performances include: The Rehearsal, Songs of Migrations and The Suit Case directed by James Ngcobo, as well as Gregory Maqoma’s Exit/Exist, which saw Complete winning the 2014 New York Dance and Performance Bessies Award for Best Music Composition.
Makhaola Ndebele, Artistic Manager of Joburg City Theatres, and director of the show, says “Audiences can look forward to beautiful music and a nostalgic trip down memory lane.”
The show will be accompanied by a live band, with musical direction by Johan Mthethwa.
A Musical Tribute to The Manhattan Brothers runs at the Soweto Theatre from December 8th to December 18th 2016. Performances are from Tuesdays to Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm. All tickets are R80 and are available by visiting www.sowetotheatre.com or calling 0861 670 670, as well as through Webtickets.
For group bookings of 10 or more, please contact the theatre directly on 011 930 7461/2/3
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