''Sarafina!'' is a South African

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

Mbongeni Ngema Mbongeni Ngema (born 1 June 1956) is a South African writer, lyricist, composer, director, choreographer and theatre producer, born in Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal (near Durban). He started his career as a theatre backing guitarist. He wrote the mul ...

and

Hugh Masekela Hugh Ramapolo Masekela (4 April 1939 – 23 January 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and for ...

depicting students involved in the Soweto Riots, in opposition to

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

. It was also adapted into a 1992 film starring

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...

and

Leleti Khumalo Leleti Khumalo (born 30 March 1970) is a South African actress known for her leading role in the movie and stage play ''Sarafina! (musical), Sarafina!'' and for her roles in other films such as ''Hotel Rwanda'', ''Yesterday (2004 film), Yesterd ...

. ''Sarafina!'' premiered 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 ...

on 28 January 1988, at the

Cort Theatre The James Earl Jones Theatre, originally the Cort Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 138 West 48th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. It was built in ...

, and closed on 2 July 1989, after 597 performances and 11 previews. The musical was conceived and directed by Mbongeni Ngema, who also wrote the book. He wrote the music and lyrics alongside

. The play was first presented at The Market Theatre,

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 ...

, South Africa, in June 1987. The cast included

as Sarafina. Leleti Khumalo received a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

nomination, Best Featured Actress in a Musical, as well as a

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

for her Broadway theatre portrayal of the title character. The production was also nominated for the Tony Award for: Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Choreography, and Best Direction of a Musical. The show presents a school uprising similar to the Soweto uprising on 16 June 1976. A narrator introduces several characters among them the schoolgirl activist Sarafina. Things get out of control when policemen shoot several pupils at the school. Nevertheless, the musical ends with a cheerful farewell show of pupils leaving school, which takes most of the second act. The production of the play was chronicled in the documentary film ''

Voices of Sarafina! ''Voices of Sarafina!'' is a 1988 American documentary film about the anti-apartheid musical stage play '' Sarafina!'' directed by Nigel Noble. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Leleti ...

''. The Album of Sarafina includes the following songs: 1.Sarafina! 2.Lord's Prayer 3.Nkonyane Kandaba 4.Freedom is coming tomorrow 5.Sabela 6.Sechaba 7.Safa Saphel' Isizwe 8.Thank you Mama 9.Vuma Dlozi Lami 10.Lizobuya 11.One more time

External links

Internet Broadway database
*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-JWmAQRfKc {{Authority control 1987 musicals All-Black cast Broadway shows Apartheid in South Africa Broadway musicals South African musicals