WINDHOEK– The Bank Windhoek Arts Festival and the National Theatre of Namibia (NTN) present a musical fantasy, Genadendal, of which music is based on pure and clear Genade (Mercy).
The musical fantasy starts with Peter, standing at the Pearly gates in dialogue with the Angel of Death, diarising the latter’s assignments of the day. Their task is constantly side tracked by a vaguely visible community on mother earth singing some heavenly music. In the acting roles, David Ndjavera is the ‘Angel of Death’, Randall Wicomb is ‘Koos’ and Aldo Behrens plays ‘Peter’.
Behrens crafted the story and text, which he based on the lyrics of Professor RK Belcher. Wicomb was commissioned to compose the music for these lyrics and Jo Decaluwe, owner of the Tinnenpot Theatre in Gent, Belgium, was invited to direct the musical. Decaluwe is well-known in Namibia for past performances such as Vincent Van Gogh, Damiaan and Vandaag Geen Hamlet and also directed The Defence of Socrates, with Behrens as Socrates. Jacus Krige arranged Wicomb’s music while Theo Cookson leads the Bank Windhoek Kalahari Ensemble. These 13 young voices have established themselves as excellent singers.
The four day theatre production will be performed on September 3 -6 at the NTN. Buy your ticket now to Witness how nature in a far off desert tampers with voices and melodies, with harmonies, rhythms an incantations in such a manner that the mandate of the Angel of Death is slightly affected. Tickets are available for N$100 at any Computicket outlet.