Mlima’s Tale

by Lynn Nottage

"A beautiful, endlessly echoing portrait of a murder and its afterlife. Ms. Nottage shaped this story with such theatrical inventiveness and discipline that it never feels sensational... A finely wrought fusion of elements." --Ben Brantley, New York Times

Continuing in her tradition of crafting thought-provoking, socially conscious dramas, Lynn Nottage's play tells the story of Mlima, an elephant struck down by poachers for his magnificent tusks. Beginning in a game park in Kenya, the play tracks the trajectory of Mlima's tusks through the ivory trade market while Mlima's ghost follows close behind--marking all those complicit in his barbaric death.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Theatre

77 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 14, 2021

About the author

Lynn Nottage is an American playwright whose work often deals with the lives of marginalized people. She is a professor of Playwriting at Columbia University. She was the first woman to have won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice; the first in 2009 for Ruined, and the second in 2017 for Sweat.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a tough play to get through, but Nottage does it again through her deft understanding of complex, important, contemporary issues. In Mlima's Tale, Nottage tackles the ivory trade, from the acquisition (slaughtering) to the final product (artwork). Mlima is present in every scene, either as a living elephant, or as the symbol of its spirit in the ivory. It really is a heartbreaking work, and will hopefully have an impact in the larger world.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A heartbreaking play, depicting the poaching of an elephant and the people who profit from it.

[damsel in dior · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I didn't like this play as much as other Lynn Nottage plays because this one is very experimental. Frankly, in the margins of my play, I wrote, "How does one go about making this scene not cringey and cheesy?". (This comment is referring particularly to the scenes in which the elephant, Mlima, is present.)

On another note, I really like how Nottage did a similar thing with Intimate Apparel and Mlima's Tale by giving each scene a name that is related to the scene itself and to the general contents of the play. In Intimate Apparel, they were fabric names. In Mlima's Tale, they are African proverbs. One African proverb that stuck out to me in particular was the one on page 17: "No matter how full the river, it still wants to grow". This proverb made me think of capitalism, and the idea that one must always want more and more ("grind culture").

Also, I might have interpreted this wrong, but it seems as though Rahman and Geedi were written with accents, while Githinji wasn't. If that is the case, I think it says a lot about privilege, especially in terms of socioeconomic class. Nottage is making a precise comment on how, abroad, proximity to the United States, (particularly, white America,) either brings you closer to privilege or is a result of your proximity to privilege (usually in terms of socioeconomic class).

[Elysse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.

Most of the time when I read a play that ought to be seen rather than read, I don't feel the impact quite as much as I would seeing the effect on a stage. But this. Lynn Nottage has a heart wrenching way with words. I still felt a gut punch at the end of this. It makes me want to watch the show all the more but wow.

A beautiful dance of a journey no person nor animal should ever take.

[Aileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This play is really excellently written. Nottage is really a master playwright; the way that she weaves these characters together to show the exploitation of Mlima is so clever. Both the directions for the physical embodiment of the play and the language evoke haunting imagery that definitely will stick with me. I would love to see this in production!

[bailey blu · Rating 4 out of 5]

this play has one of the most interesting premises I've encountered. although I haven't seen it performed, I can imagine that its incredibly powerful to watch. the idea that the elephant/tusks are played by an actor for the entire course of the play is just so eerie to me. lynn nottage is always amazing - both with her ideas and with the execution of them. this is no exception.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the La Ronde structure, I think it really serves the plot and helps in understanding the magnitude of the problem. I wish the Mlima moments were more textually fleshed out, or at least featured a description of what happened in the original production, as it wasn’t always clear what Nottage intended.

[Neil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe the right production could make me buy this, but it's hard for me to picture. It tries to cover too much ground and I can't see how actors would believably portray elephants in a way that wouldn't fall into the traps of anthropomorphism.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gradually expanding tale explores the international implications of a single action, delving into both the political and personal causes and effects.

[Sune Borkfelt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Gave me goosebumps. Rich and layered, yet deceptively simple, play that tackles important issues.

[Wei Han · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would be so unnervingly great to watch or direct.

[Sherrice Mojgani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Similar to Sweat Nottage, brings the ivory trade down to simple interactions and asks us how we would make a different choice.

[Moe Kuhlmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

LIKED IT A LOT MORE THAN I WAS EXPECTING WOAHHHH. How the hell do they do this on stage???

[Joel Wall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this play, but did feel the story was somewhat too fast-paced

[MattThatReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful look into Ivory trade that makes the horrendous violence and clandestine smuggling all seem so futile and senseless for the sake of an end product of Superficiality.