South African Ensemble to Perform at Grand Theatre

On Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 February 2022, the South African ensemble Isango will present "Treemonisha" at the Grand Théâtre, adapted after the opera by Scott Joplin.

Composed by Scott Joplin in 1911 and whose world premiere did not took place until 1972, Treemonisha was an immediate hit and earned Joplin a posthumous Pulitzer Prize for its powerful themes of the right to education for African Americans and the rights of women.

Isango adaptation retains the original score, which mixes gospel and ragtime with operetta and European opera, but the plot is transposed into a South African setting, giving the drama a new topicality. This three-act opera revolves around the theme of education as a saving force. The story takes place on a plantation where the young African-American heroine Treemonisha represents the figure of the "educator"; she guides her community towards knowledge and, ultimately, towards freedom.

Set up in 2000 by British director Mark Dornford-May and South African performer Pauline Malefane, Isango ensemble draws on the musical and acting talent of Cape Town's townships to create acclaimed productions like "The Magic Flute". They bring with Treemonisha promise of "a new and different sound-world that is still from the same solar system as Joplin's imagined world"

Isango ensemble has performed "A Man of Good Hope" in Luxembourg in 2018.

Sung in English, with excerpts in Xhosa & Zulu, Treemonisha evokes a world of sound, born from the musical genius of Joplin.

An introduction to the play is given 30 minutes before every performance.

The play lasts approximately two hours.

Tickets cost €20 for adults or €8 for young people. For further information and ticketing https://www.theater.lu/eventsluxembourg/206/treemonisha-sGJXy5/treemonisha/