Loading...

The Mother of all Eating (… and the looting continues!)

The Mother of all Eating  (… and the looting continues!)

Contemporary and highly creative theatre directors, Khayelihle Dom Gumede and Phala Ookeditse Phala, tackle a 30-year-old timeless play The Mother of All Eating written by prolific playwright Zakes Mda. The play will be staged at the Market Theatre as part of the 45 years celebration from 16 March – 11 April 2021.

Zakes Mda’s satirical masterpiece set in Maseru, Lesotho (and first performed at the Sechaba Hall of the Victoria Hotel in Maseru in 1992), explores the debilitating culture of corruption and greed known as ‘eating’. A culture which has become synonymous with corrupt state officials who enrich themselves by abusing government funds.

Although The Mother of all Eating is over 30 years old, it remains as tragically relevant today as when it was first staged. Mda meticulously penned a seminal take on how systemised corruption, becomes normalised and embedded, how it imposes a steep cost on society, easily dwarfing that of street crime. He reveals how an emphasis on the individual as evildoer misses the point that systems and individuals are mutually reinforcing.

Mda’s timeless classic centres on a character called ‘The Man’, the principal secretary to a government minister. The Man is corrupt to the core, and has enriched himself as he has moved through the ranks of government. The play exposes the catastrophic effects of greed and the tragic effects that accompany unchecked corruption.

Wilfully performed by South African legends, Vusi Kunene and Thulani Nyembe, this contemporary take is an exhibition of every facet of the classic stage actor. A visual and narrative feast that will have audiences confounded by ironic laughter and melancholic reflection as the play peals away at the disease and dis-ease of the global themes of greed, corruption and classism. While the play is a triumph on stage, it speaks to our fundamental failure to heed the warnings and lessons, etched in the classic narrative of the abuse of power.

Dom has had the great fortune of directing over a dozen professional productions for the stage include the award-winning production, ‘Crepuscule’, co-director of ‘Milk and Honey’ and co-directing of the acclaimed ‘Tsotsi: The Musical’. He was also the Theatre Curator for the Inaugural season of ‘The Centre for The Less Good Idea’ Founded by William Kentridge. He is also an internationally published academic and playwright.

Phala is the Animateur at The Centre for the Less Good Idea, an interdisciplinary incubator space for the arts, based in Maboneng, Johannesburg. He is a multi-award-winning storiyer in the form of a theatre-maker and director whose works have won awards in South Africa, USA, Czech Republic and Australia.

There is no silver bullet for fighting corruption. South Africa has been riddled with corruption scandals since the days of apartheid to the current dispensation. The current inquiries into State Capture and PPE’s misappropriation illustrate the insurmountable financial mismanagement and corruption that cripples the government’s capability to deliver services to its citizens.

PRODUCTION INFORMATION CREATIVE TEAM

Writer: Zakes Mda
Co - Directors: Khayelihle Dom Gumede and Phala Ookeditse Phala:
Set Designer: Onthatile Matshidiso
Assistant Set Designer: Antonie Adams
Lighting Designer: Nomvula Molepo
Costume co-ordinator: Phumelele Dlamini
Stage manager: Zandile Mawane

Performers
Vusi Kunene
Thulani Nyembe

Musician
Volley Nchabeleng
Age Recommendation: 13
Season: Tuesday 16 March – 11 April 2021
Venue: The Barney Simon Theatre
Performance times: Tuesday – Saturday @18h00 and Sunday @15h00
Ticket prices: Tuesday – Thursday R90.00 Friday – Saturday R150.00 and Sunday R130.00

Your Review

RATING

1025 VIEWS
0 Likes

Share To

Culture Reporter

Culture Reporter

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Boyz II Men In Mzansi

Boyz II Men In Mzansi

With timeless soulful ballads including End of the Road, I’ll Make Love to You and Motownphilly, the trio hold the distinction of being the best-selling R&B group of all time, with an astounding 64 million albums sold worldwide. Their list of accolades includes 4 Grammy Awards, 9 American Music Awards, 9 Soul Train Awards, 3 Billboard Awards and a MOBO Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.

Bafo, Live at Untitled

Bafo, Live at Untitled

Madala Kunene (Bafo), commonly referred to as the king of the Zulu guitar, lives in a house in the middle of a newly gentrified suburb just outside of Durban in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. He is often described as an Mbaqanga or Maskandi artist—something he personally hates.

Thandi Ntuli Live In Concert

Thandi Ntuli Live In Concert

Like one of her heroes, Bheki Mseleku, whose album Home at Last, reflects a celebration of returning, Thandi feels a great eagerness to reconnect with her long-standing collaborators; bringing all her “becomings” and musically sharing a conversation on what’s new as she says: “I just wanna play!”

comments
Go to TOP