'Mshengu the Musical' celebrates Ladysmith Black Mambazo's legacy

When you hear the words Ladysmith

Black Mambazo, it’s often difficult to

not associate this with greatness. 

And it’s understandable. Ladysmith Black Mambazo is

one of the few South African acts to

achieve success in the international

arena, with the group having won five

Grammys.

Few of us, however, know where

this began for the collective from

KwaZulu-Natal. 

To remedy this and

commemorate the group’s 60 years, Mshengu The Musical will tell the

story of Black Mambazo and one of its founding members,

Professor Joseph Shabalala. 

The group’s manager

Xolani Majozi explained why

the collective saw fit to mark this

milestone through a musical.

“We felt the story of Professor

Joseph Shabalala is a South African

story. 

"A unique story and one that

is a good story to tell because of his

contribution to the entertainment

industry, not only in the country but

internationally as well,” Majozi said. 

As the group celebrates 60 years

in music, Majozi added they believed

this would be the perfect way to mark

the occasion.

The process of creating the

production had been ongoing since

talks began two years ago. 

The theatre production is written

by Sandile Ngidi and directed by

Desmond Dube, with research and

creative support provided by members

of the group.

The group worked closely with

Ngidi to provide him with the

information to help him tell the story. 

Ladysmith Black Mambazo performing 'Homeless' at the launch of Mshengu the Musical. Video: Masego Panyane

“This is one of the reasons why the group will have such a hands-on approach because we want to create an experience that will allow the audience to feel like they’re exposed to the real Black Mambazo. So it will have original compositions for the production and also make use of the songs that people know and love from the existing Black Mambazo catalogue,” he said. 

On why it’s named Mshengu the

Musical, Majozi said: “Mshengu is the

Shabalala clan name. In the industry,

Shabalala is known as uMshengu so

the naming of it makes reference to

that.” 

The production is still in its

infancy, with auditions for the cast set to take place on July 17 and 18.  

The

production will then make its first stop at

the Soweto Theatre in September for a

short run, and then head off to

the Joburg Theatre and other theatres

across the country. 

*The show will run from

September 13-29 at the Soweto

Theatre, with early tickets selling

between R80 and R250. Visit the theatre's website for more details. 

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