Heritage Theatre has converted a number of theatre productions onto DVD and video. The British Theatre Guide will be reviewing a selection over the next few weeks, commencing with this most unusual, large-cast South African production originally seen at Wilton's Music Hall in London.
The tradition of people's productions of biblical tales goes back to medieval times and probably beyond. This particular version, which combines tales from Genesis with those from the New Testament, is loosely based on the medieval Chester Mystery Plays from the north-west of England.
If it was necessary to pick a single word to summarise Yiimimangaliso The Mysteries, that word would be exuberance. There is a feeling of joy and life that seeps out from almost every moment and each actor. Everyone positively bounces around the stage wherever possible.
The stories are familiar and perhaps that is just as well since The Mysteries is built on the multicultural tradition of South Africa, which means that actors speak in a number of languages. While English is the most prominent, there are also large parts in Xhosa, Zulu, Afrikaans and even Latin. Without subtitles this would seem to be forbidding but such is the talent of the actors that meaning is rarely lost.
The first half focuses on a much worshipped, multi-lingual Deus, the talented Vumile Nomanyama. He leads us through a battle with Lucifer and then the biblical stories of Adam and Eve, painted in pastel shades, a White Cain and Black Abel, Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac, but most impressively, Noah.
The Ark may be no more than a flimsy piece of garden fence but the battle between the larger-than-life, Otto Ziqubu as Noah and Ruby Mthethwa as his wife is splendidly acted and extremely funny.
The second half takes us through the story of Jesus, also played by Vumile Nomanyama, from immaculate conception through his life, stopping off at such stories as the raising of Lazarus, his meeting with Mary Magdalene, the Last Supper, and, most movingly, the Crucifixion and Resurrection.
This is very entertaining theatre, well filmed, and shows a familiar story related in an alien and extremely different cultural tradition. This is a far cry from Chester, although the underlying spirit of people's theatre is similar.
Throughout, there is a feeling of Africa in both song and dance but most of all in the joyous performances of a group that, before spending two years on the road together touring the world, had hardly acted.
In addition to the two hours of the play, there is also a 15-minute documentary about the creation of Yiimimangaliso The Mysteries featuring a number of the actors and the play's English creators, Mark Dornford-May and Charles Hazlewood.
Heritage Theatre has converted a number of theatre productions onto DVD and video. The British Theatre Guide will be reviewing a selection over the next few weeks, commencing with this most unusual, large-cast South African production originally seen at Wilton's Music Hall in London.
The tradition of people's productions of biblical tales goes back to medieval times and probably beyond. This particular version, which combines tales from Genesis with those from the New Testament, is loosely based on the medieval Chester Mystery Plays from the north-west of England.
If it was necessary to pick a single word to summarise Yiimimangaliso The Mysteries, that word would be exuberance. There is a feeling of joy and life that seeps out from almost every moment and each actor. Everyone positively bounces around the stage wherever possible.
The stories are familiar and perhaps that is just as well since The Mysteries is built on the multicultural tradition of South Africa, which means that actors speak in a number of languages. While English is the most prominent, there are also large parts in Xhosa, Zulu, Afrikaans and even Latin. Without subtitles this would seem to be forbidding but such is the talent of the actors that meaning is rarely lost.
The first half focuses on a much worshipped, multi-lingual Deus, the talented Vumile Nomanyama. He leads us through a battle with Lucifer and then the biblical stories of Adam and Eve, painted in pastel shades, a White Cain and Black Abel, Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac but most impressively, Noah.
The Ark may be no more than a flimsy piece of garden fence but the battle between the larger-than-life, Otto Ziqubu as Noah and Ruby Mthethwa as his wife is splendidly acted and extremely funny.
The second half takes us through the story of Jesus, also played by Vumile Nomanyama from immaculate conception through his life, stopping off at such stories as the raising of Lazarus, his meeting with Mary Magdalene, the Last Supper and most movingly the Crucifixion and Resurrection.
This is very entertaining theatre, well filmed and shows a familiar story related in an alien and extremely different cultural tradition. This is a far cry from Chester, although the underlying spirit of people's theatre is similar.
Throughout, there is a feeling of Africa in both song and dance but most of all in the joyous performances of a group that, before spending two years on the road together touring the world, had hardly acted.
In addition to the two hours of the play, there is also a 15-minute documentary about the creation of Yiimimangaliso The Mysteries featuring a number of the actors and the play's English creators, Mark Dornford-May and Charles Hazlewood.
Heritage Theatre has converted a number of theatre productions onto DVD and video. The British Theatre Guide will be reviewing a selection over the next few weeks, commencing with this most unusual, large-cast South African production originally seen at Wilton's Music Hall in London.
The tradition of people's productions of biblical tales goes back to medieval times and probably beyond. This particular version, which combines tales from Genesis with those from the New Testament, is loosely based on the medieval Chester Mystery Plays from the north-west of England.
If it was necessary to pick a single word to summarise Yiimimangaliso The Mysteries, that word would be exuberance. There is a feeling of joy and life that seeps out from almost every moment and each actor. Everyone positively bounces around the stage wherever possible.
The stories are familiar and perhaps that is just as well since The Mysteries is built on the multicultural tradition of South Africa, which means that actors speak in a number of languages. While English is the most prominent, there are also large parts in Xhosa, Zulu, Afrikaans and even Latin. Without subtitles this would seem to be forbidding but such is the talent of the actors that meaning is rarely lost.
The first half focuses on a much worshipped, multi-lingual Deus, the talented Vumile Nomanyama. He leads us through a battle with Lucifer and then the biblical stories of Adam and Eve, painted in pastel shades, a White Cain and Black Abel, Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac but most impressively, Noah.
The Ark may be no more than a flimsy piece of garden fence but the battle between the larger-than-life, Otto Ziqubu as Noah and Ruby Mthethwa as his wife is splendidly acted and extremely funny.
The second half takes us through the story of Jesus, also played by Vumile Nomanyama from immaculate conception through his life, stopping off at such stories as the raising of Lazarus, his meeting with Mary Magdalene, the Last Supper and most movingly the Crucifixion and Resurrection.
This is very entertaining theatre, well filmed and shows a familiar story related in an alien and extremely different cultural tradition. This is a far cry from Chester, although the underlying spirit of people's theatre is similar.
Throughout, there is a feeling of Africa in both song and dance but most of all in the joyous performances of a group that, before spending two years on the road together touring the world, had hardly acted.
In addition to the two hours of the play, there is also a 15-minute documentary about the creation of Yiimimangaliso The Mysteries featuring a number of the actors and the play's English creators, Mark Dornford-May and Charles Hazlewood.