''uMabatha'' is a 1970 play (theatre), play written by South African playwright Welcome Msomi. It is an adaptation of Shakespeare's ''Macbeth'' set in the Zulu Kingdom during the early 19th century, and details how Macbeth (character), Mabatha overthrows King Duncan, Dangane. Described as Msomi's "most famous" work, ''uMabatha'' was written when Msomi was a student at the University of Natal; it was first performed at the University's open-air theater in 1971. In 1972, it was performed at the Royal Shakespeare Company's Aldwych Theatre as part of that year's World Theatre Season, and has subsequently been performed in Italy, Scotland, Zimbabwe, and throughout America, including a "very successful off-Broadway season in 1978".

Reception

Peter Ustinov said that, before seeing ''uMabatha'', he did not truly understand ''Macbeth'', while Gregory Doran stated that the 1995 Johannesburg production of ''uMabatha'' was "the best production of [Macbeth]" he had ever seen.''Woza Shakespeare: Titus Andronicus in South Africa'', by Gregory Doran and Antony Sher; published 1996 by Bloomsbury Publishing In response to the 1995 Johannesburg production, Nelson Mandela told Msomi that "(t)he similarities between Shakespeare's Macbeth and our own Shaka become a glaring reminder that the world is, philosophically, a very small place."

References

External links

Shakespeare's Globe Research Bulletin, issue #25 (May 2002): UMABATHAuMabatha: Global and Local
by Laurence Wright {{DEFAULTSORT:Umabatha Plays and musicals based on Macbeth Zulu literature 1970 plays South African plays Plays set in South Africa Plays set in the 19th century