Cape Town Opera: Mandela Trilogy

The key stages of Nelson Mandela's life - leaving his tribe, leading the revolt against Apartheid in the townships, and imprisonment - might sound like an unlikely subject for song and dance, but the Cape Town Opera's magnificent production perfectly blended the personal and the political, the hardship and the joy to create a captivating, rousing and ultimately uplifting theatrical experience.

Cape Town Opera, the leading performing arts company in South Africa, first created the Mandela Trilogy in 2010. Having recently signed a three year co-operation agreement with the Wales Millennium Centre, they are celebrating by bringing the trilogy to Cardiff for its European première. With a cast of over 40 and the participation of the Welsh National Opera orchestra, this is a spectacular treat for opera fans.

The Mandela Trilogy is written and directed by Michael Williams. Unusually, the music is from three different composers, one for each section. Allan Stephenson matches traditional African rhythms to the scenes of the young Mandela in his home village; Mike Campbell brings to life the vibrant 1950s township life through jazz and Péter Louis van Dijk soundtracks Mandela's imprisonment and eventual release with a more conventional contemporary opera score. Nonetheless, there is a sense of continuity throughout, and the music is consistently impressive. I spoke to Williams after the performance about the thinking behind having three composers. He explained that it is extremely difficult for a single composer to keep the audience interested for two hours, and joked 'There's only one man who can do that and his name's Mozart'. In my opinion, the three parts are set in such distinct locations, requiring such different styles of music, that they needed the complementary skills of separate composers. This is mirrored by three different actors playing Mandela at each stage of his life.

The first part of the trilogy is sung in the local language of Mandela's tribe. There are surtitles, but the music and the performances are so expressive that you don't need to know the words to understand what is happening. The beginning of the show is completely joyous, full of colour, energy and traditional dancing, as the tribe celebrate their brave young men. However, they soon turn serious, decrying their lack of rights in their own land in an incredibly rousing scene. Shortly after, we see the political awakening of the young Mandela, who decides he must leave his village and fight for equal rights, in a particularly powerful, stripped back solo.

Part two then focuses on Mandela's time in the townships at the outset of Apartheid. He has been banned from public speeches, but this does not stop him addressing the people with a message of hope. You can't help but be swept up in the stirring music and performances. At this point you realise why Mandela is such an excellent choice of character for an opera.

No depiction of the 1950s would be complete without a high energy Jazz Club scene. I was blown away by the dancing in these extremely vibrant scenes which made me think that if oppression could be overcome simply by being incredibly cool South Africa would have had no problems at all.

Unusually for an opera, Mandela Trilogy has some extremely catchy tunes; none more so than Freedom in Our Time, which is still stuck in my head now. At the same time, there are more quietly powerful moments like Winning Hearts and Minds - where the three women in Mandela's life sing of how the cause keeps him away from them - which gave me goosebumps. As the fun violently comes to an end, with the forcible removal of the people from the township, the beautiful singing and staging create a haunting scene.

The third part, featuring Mandela's trial, imprisonment and eventual release, has a shift in tone to serious and dramatic. High-octane song and dance is replaced with more austere, contemplatory scenes. One particularly heartbreaking moment is when Mandela almost loses faith, only to be consoled by the voices of the people willing him on. It is in this final part that the incredible acting skill of the cast really comes to the fore.

As Mandela is finally released and takes his place as leader of the people of South Africa, you can't help but be swept up in the excitement. Mandela is one of the most iconic personalities of our time, so we all know how the story is going to end, and yet you're so absorbed in the lives of these characters that the ending feels unexpected and uplifting.

For large parts of the show, I had a huge smile stuck on my face, which is not what I expected from an opera about fighting oppression and imprisonment. For other parts, I was completely engrossed and deeply moved by the personal lives of those so often in the headlines for political reasons. Mandela Trilogy has it all; the story, an incredibly talented cast, electrifying dancing, vibrant costumes and sets, but above all, the music. The music which is constantly changing and yet always of the utmost quality. With never a dull moment, Mandela Trilogy is truly unmissable.

Cape Town Opera: Mandela Trilogy is showing at the Wales Millennium Centre on 20-21 June 2012. Tickets are available here. Their production of Porgy & Bess, set in Soweto, is then showing from 23-24 June, before continuing its UK tour.