Woza Albert!

by Percy Mtwa, Mbongeni Ngema, Barney Simon

Woza Albert! is based on one dazzlingly simple idea - that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ should take place in present-day South Africa. This brilliant two-man show from the Market Theatre, Johannesburg, took the Edinburgh Festival then London by storm in September 1982, playing to standing ovations every night. It was also seen in Berlin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia and twice on BBC TV.

This edition contains a new introduction by Yvette Hutchison

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Drama

80 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1983

About the author

Percy Mtwa is a South African actor, director, and playwright best known for his powerful contributions to anti-apartheid theatre. Born in Wattville, Benoni, he showed early promise in literature and the arts but left school at 17 to support his family. He began his artistic career as a singer and dancer before moving into acting, appearing in Destiny Calls in 1973.
Mtwa joined Gibson Kente’s theatre company in 1979 and later co-founded the Earth Players with Mbongeni Ngema. Together they created the internationally acclaimed play Woza Albert! in 1981, directed by Barney Simon and performed extensively in South Africa and abroad. He later wrote and directed Bopha!, which premiered at the Market Theatre and was later adapted into a feature film directed by Morgan Freeman and starring Danny Glover.
A resident director at the Market Theatre, Mtwa also wrote The African Dream and The Patriot, continuing his legacy of socially engaged storytelling in South African theatre.

Reviews

[Annegida · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS WAS SO AMAZING AND FUN TO READ THIS IS WHY I STUDY LITERARY STUDIES HAKDFLHJFDK

[grace fleming de torres]

This is a play that I read

[Rhona Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still maddening, still relevant. The cries of the oppressed still looks for a saviour

[Saintt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot wait for the day I am able to see this performed live.

[Rooi Hanswors · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good balance of keeping something interesting and getting a message across

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little hard to follow at times but wow. This 40 year old play is so relevant today.

[Amber Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot wait for the day I am able to see this performed live.

[Kat Hawthorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need to see a production of this live so badly

[DB (DB's Guide to the Galaxy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in high school in Drama class and reading it again for college. Home field advantage? Of course. Had it for Waiting For Godot and will have it for The Great Gatsby.

[Melody · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is hard because it's a judgement call. I liked the style of the play, and was very intrigued by it. I just feel like I didn't get as much out of it as was in the text because I didn't understand the cultural references. And, that's just the way it is. I didn't grow up in South Africa. I don't get it like I would if I did. Unfortunately, this fact played into how well I understood and enjoyed the piece. However, that shouldn't detract from it at all.

[Playground of Randomness · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had such an interesting idea. Watching the play helps the content to make more sense but the book itself is a close second.

[tiernan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally one of the most important pieces of South African literature