Book Bertha Egnos | Lyrics Gail Lakier Playwright Bertha Egnos | |
Productions 1974 Johannesburg1976 West End1977 Broadway | ||
Ipi Tombi (also produced as Ipi N'tombi, both corrupted transliterations of the Zulu iphi intombi, or "where is the girl?"), is a 1974 musical by South African 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. The show, originally called The Warrior, uses pastiches of a variety of South African indigenous musical styles.
Contents
Ipi tombi the musical 1974
Productions
The show, which starred Margaret Singana, enjoyed major success in South Africa and Nigeria, and toured Europe, the United States and Canada to critical acclaim. It played in the West End at Her Majesty's Theatre and on Broadway 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.