Zwide actor and playwright Xolani Mali will direct his new play, The Last Supper, The Musical, at the Barn at the PE Opera House next week.
The Last Supper is part of the Opera House’s Drama Seasons and will run from Wednesday October 10 to Saturday October 13.
The cast includes Anele Chayi Penny, who plays Mandla having a “last supper” with his family ahead of a jail term. Nosipho Sompani is his girlfriend Mandisa, who may also be in a relationship with his uncle, played by Fiks Mahola.
Mandla’s father (Xolani Mali) and sister Pamela (Marcia Tandokazi Ntoni) round out the family while the roles of neighbours are played by Nomabotwe Mtimkhulu and Lungelwa Magqamfana.
The supper gets sidetracked by family issues, in fact it gets downright messy as family secrets and agendas come to the fore, says Mali, noting that “this is a supper where food doesn't get tasted”.
He said the drama was accompanied with songs drawn from American spirituals, classical numbers and “our own South African signature tune from a particular church”.
Mali has been active in theatre since his school days at Loyiso High School and took part in a few developmental theatre productions. After matric he went on to audition at the drama department of the Pretoria Arts Campus and was accepted to study towards a qualification in speech and drama. He later graduated in theatre studies at Tshwane University of Technology. Since then, Mali has worked on television and radio, as well as educational outreaches and children’s productions.
The Last Supper, The Musical will be at the Barn each night at 7pm, and there also is a matinee on Saturday, October 13 at 2pm. Tickets are R100 single, R150 double, and pensioners and students pay R50 each.
Further information from the Opera House, 041-585-1300.