Soweto Gospel Choir

Festival Theatre
Tues 20 March
season closed


From the opening note, the Soweto Gospel Choir was a spectacular of South African traditional costume and colour. Choir-master Mazwe Shabalala directed them with flair and comedic exaggeration, augmented by a big stepping dance not often seen this side of the Indian Ocean.

Basically the troupe of twenty-four stayed lined up in two rows except for individual excursions to the two native drums stage left and some other accompanying instruments upstage, and for some very interesting body language translating the import of the text. Every now and then, one of the many short songs would be introduced by a choir member in an over-rehearsed manner expanding on the themes of hope during the struggle toward independence, and the ongoing celebration of the tenth anniversary in 2004 of the new South Africa.

The familiar rhythms - gospel tunes, lullabies, courting calls - and those special blends of missionary zeal and jungle beats around the fire were delivered mainly in Zulu and Xhosa. Except for the role playing and dancing accompanying the superb lead vocalists and choir, they could have been singing their shopping lists for all I know.

While the a'capella was compelling and the sound was empyrean, the act lacked spontaneity and was delivered in a set-piece fashion. Perhaps they were unused to 1500 people staring at them and not clapping along and being terribly polite. After having us stand for the South African national anthem - a complex and beautiful piece of work - the show really took off with a finale of Happy Days and a rousing encore that had everyone on their feet swaying to the beat. Too little, too late. I would like to see them on their own turf.

David Grybowski