FULL NKOLI The Vogue-Opera (Philip Miller) Cape Town 2024
Information on the Performance
- Work Title: NKOLI The Vogue-Opera
- Composer: Miller Philip
- Libretto: Philip Miller, S’bo Gyre Libretto Text, Libretto Index
- Venue & Opera Company: The Baxter Theatre Centre at University of Cape Town, South Africa
- Recorded: October 2024
- Type: Staged Opera Live
- Singers: Simbone Qonya, Niza Jay, Bongani Kubheka, Ann Masina, Nokuthula Magubane, Grant Towers, Leah Gunter, Mhlaba Buthelezi, Nolusindiso Manciya, Ayanda Eleki
- Conductor: Tshegofatso Moeng
- Orchestra:
- Choreographer: Llewellyn Mnguni
- Stage Director: Rikki Beadle Blair, John Trengove
- Stage Designer: Rocco Pool, Catherine Meyburgh, Marcos Martins
- Costume Designer: Sikelela Mr Allofit, Birrie Roux
- Lighting Designer: Wolf Britz
Information about the Recording
- Format: DVD
- Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
- Subtitles: yessubs, ensubs, gensubs
- Video Recording from: Vimeo FULL VIDEO
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE
It’s part opera, part vogueing-ball. “Think if Hamilton and RuPaul’s Drag Race had a baby in South Africa. That’s Nkoli:The Vogue-Opera!” says S’bo Gyre, co-lyricist with Philip Miller.
Nkoli: The Vogue-Opera tells the story of gay anti-apartheid freedom fighter, Simon Nkoli, an unrecognised hero in the South African struggle. Simon was imprisoned on charges of treason at the Delmas Treason Trial (1985 – 1988) and on his release organized the first pride march in Johannesburg. He played a key role in ensuring gay rights were enshrined in our constitution. Simon died in 1998 aged 41 of AIDS related diseases, at a time when antiretrovial drugs were denied in South Africa.
The opera follows Simon’s journey from his childhood in Sebokeng township, South Africa to his rise to prominence as a leader in the fight against apartheid and homophobia. It is a story of courage, determination, unity and love, set against the backdrop of one of the most tumultuous decades in South African history and told through protest songs, lush arias, lip-syncing, rap, huge choruses and remarkable video projections. Nkoli, is as fierce and fabulous as Simon was.