THE AFRICAN PASSION at Joburg Theatre

This Easter Catalina UnLtd, funded by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund will bring the nation the brand new gospel opera/musical – THE AFRICAN PASSION. This world premiere brings the ‘Passion of Christ’ to life in a South African Gospel style. The tour begins in Durban and then moves respectively to Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, Soweto, Johannesburg, Mafeking and then back to Durban.

The libretto is written by Themi Venturas and the music is composed by Phelelani Mnomiya (a celebrated and award-winning gospel choral composer) Antony Govender (of Destiny Music) and the Young Mbazo (grandchildren of the Ladysmith Black Mambazo) and is the perfect way to celebrate Easter this year.

Under the direction of Themi Venturas, the show features Bonginkhosi ‘Faca’ Kulu (The Lion King in New York) as Jesus, Natalia da Rocha (original Natasha in Jimbo) as his mother Mary, Sharon Dee as Mary Magadalene, Grant Jacobs (recently seen in Man of La Mancha, Paper Boy) as Simon Peter, Dewaldt Von Solms (of the popular singing duo VON WEST) as Pontius Pilate, Caitlin Kilburn (remembered for her stellar performance as Aldonza in Man of La Mancha) as Pilate’s wife, Blessing Xaba ( seen as Fatty in the movie Spud) as Caiaphas, Aubrey Lodewyk (last seen in Handel’s Messiah and the Mandela Trilogy) as Annas and a host of other superb singers featuring the ‘isicathamiya’ group Young Mbazo.