(Press release)
On the 23rd February 1961 the iconic South African
musical King Kong opened at the Princes Theatre, Shaftesbury
Ave in London. The outstandingly talented and charismatic cast, as well as the
score rooted in township jazz and choral singing made a huge impact, and
the show's West End run lasted for 201 performances.
A few weeks previously, I (aged 5) had watched from a packed balcony in Johannesburg airport as the cast and creative team boarded a plane for London. Amongst them was my late father, Stanley Glasser, the show's musical director.
Little did I know then that in early 1990 I would become the musical
director of the Manhattan Brothers, whose founding members Nathan Mdlele and
Joe Mogotsi played the lead roles in King Kong, and would produce their
final album ‘Inyembezi’ for EMI South African in 2006.
60 Years on, on the 23rd February 2021 at 8PM GMT, I will be
presenting a one-off Zoom lecture telling the story of this show. I will be
drawing on a personal archive of newspaper cuttings, audio, video and photos,
as well as my own interviews with Hugh Masekela, David Serame, Lemmy
Special Mabaso, Caiphus Semenya, Lindiwe Tsele and Esme Matshikiza.
This is a free event, with donations welcomed. To sign up on
Eventbrite, click the red button below.
I would love you to join me for this unique event.
Adam
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