South African Playwright Neil Coppen's TIN BUCKET DRUM Hits Cape Town, Now thru 8 Sept

Multi-award winning South African playwright Neil Coppen's TIN BUCKET DRUM, produced by the Imbewu Trust, finally comes to Cape Town after taking the world by storm. From today 14 August to 8 September at Kalk Bay Theatre, Cape Town audiences have the chance to see this production by Coppen, the 2011 Standard Bank Young Artist for Theatre. The production has received great acclaim nationally and internationally, touring to New York, and receiving rave reviews across the board.

Directed by Karen Logan, and performed by Mpume Mthombeni and Wake Mahlobo, TIN BUCKET DRUM follows the story of Nomvula, a spirited child with a revolutionary heart born into a country with a cruel and silent dictatorship. It weaves together elements of magical realism, shadow puppetry, Kabuki theatre and live percussion while offering a fresh twist to the traditional conventions of African storytelling.

THE EXAMINER gave the production six-stars, comparing it to Tony-Award winning PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, currently playing on Broadway: "Multi-award winning PETER AND THE STARCATCHER could have some competition in ticket sales of this off Broadway production at $18 gives you the same heartfelt journey of any multi-Tony award winning storytelling piece of theatre. TIN BUCKET DRUM is a mesmerizing piece of Kabuki style African storytelling."

THE VILLAGE VOICE wrote: "In a theatre world full of high-flying superheroes and next-level spectacles, TIN BUCKET DRUM charmingly reminds us that, ultimately, what matters most is the story."

THEATRE IS EASY summed up the production with: "Mthombeni really represents storytelling at its best. She gracefully and convincingly switches characters, from the confused child whose loud beating heart defies the village silence, to the ruthless and scary dictator who rules in fear. She is joined on stage by a live percussionist, Wake Mahlobo, who discretely accompanies her every move with sound, while not drawing any attention away from the main performer. The technical production is also simple but immaculate; lights change and shadows are cast in a way that perfectly frame the story's changes and twists. While the piece is composed of simple and clearly defined elements, they are integrated in such a seamless and natural way that the whole is by far greater than the individual parts. And as such, it's actually hard to do the piece justice by describing the elements that when interweaved make it so brilliant."

TIN BUCKET DRUM will be performed at Kalk Bay Theatre Wednesday to Sunday from 14 August to 8 September at 8pm. Tickets cost R100. Tickets to the cut-price previews on Wed 14 & Thurs 15 August cost R70. On Wednesday 21 & Thursday 22 August, tickets are 2 for the price of one. Bookings are at www.kbt.co.za. Guests can enjoy Funki Chef's Meal of the Day before or after the show. Contact Hannah on 072 7149559 or funkichef@gmail.com for details.