- King Kong (musical)
King Kong was a
South Africa njazz influenced musical, billed at the time as a "jazzopera ".The music and some of the lyrics were written by
Todd Matshikiza . The lyrics were by Pat Willams and the book by Harry Bloom. It was directed by Leon Gluckman with orchestration and arrangements by pianist Sol Klaaste, tenor saxophonist Mackay Davashe, alto saxophonistKippie Moeketsi and composerStanley Glasser .The decor and costumes were designed by
Arthur Goldreich , aJewish communist ,architect andvisual designer (who was later arrested during an apartheid clampdown).King Kong had an all-black cast. The musical portrayed the life and times of a heavyweight boxer, "Ezekiel Dlamini", known as King Kong. After a meteoric boxing rise, his life degenerated into drunkenness and gang violence. He knifed his girlfriend, asked for the death sentence during his trial and instead was sentenced to 14 years hard labour. He drowned himself at the age of 32.
This musical was a hit in South Africa in
1959 and played at the Princes Theatre in the West End ofLondon in1961 .The musical launched the international career of
Miriam Makeba who played theshebeen queen of the "Back of the Moon", a shebeen of the time inSophiatown .The male lead was Nathan Mdledle of the
Manhattan Brothers . There was cast of 72.Others in the cast were
Hugh Masekela ,Abdullah Ibrahim ,Kippie Moeketsi andThandi Klaasen , all of whom went on to have successful careers.Note: The song "Sad Times, Bad Times" was a reference at the time to the infamous South African
Treason Trial in Pretoria. Among the accused wereAlbert Luthuli (ANC president), secretaryWalter Sisulu ,Nelson Mandela andOliver Tambo . The trial lasted for more than four years before it collapsed with all the accused acquitted.ongs
* Sad times, bad times
* Marvellous muscles
* King kong
* Kwela long
* Back of the moon
* Petal’s song
* Damn him
* Strange
* Better than new
* Mad
* Quickly in love
* In the queue
* It’s a wedding
* Death song
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