''Ipi Tombi'' (also produced as ''Ipi N'tombi'', both corrupted transliterations of the Zulu ''iphi ntombi'', or "where is the girl?"), is a 1974 musical by

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

n writers Bertha Egnos Godfrey and her daughter Gail Lakier, telling the story of a young black man leaving his village and young wife to work in the mines of

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

. The show, originally called ''The Warrior'', uses pastiches of a variety of South African indigenous musical styles.

Productions

The show, which starred

Margaret Singana Margaret Singana (193822 April 2000), born Margaret M'cingana, was a South African musician. She is perhaps best known for her Xhosa song, "Hamba Bhekile". An English version of the song, "We Are Growing" was used as soundtrack to the South Afric ...

, enjoyed major success in South Africa and Nigeria, and toured Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia to critical acclaim. It played in the West End at

Her Majesty's Theatre Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, ...

and on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

at the Harkness Theatre. The latter production attracted protests from groups who believed that the show gave a false impression of life in South Africa.at the Harkness Theatre in New York
African Activist, Retrieved 26 October 2016 That was the last production ever at the Harkness Theatre before it closed and was demolished.

Awards and nominations

Original London production

References

External links

*{{ibdb title, id=3890, title=Ipi-Tombi 1974 musicals West End musicals South African musicals