WeeklySA_AdminLegacy: Nathi, Moneoa, Amanda Black and Nokukhanya Dlamini bring fresh interpretations to the veteran composer’s music in a three-day production celebrating his enduring influence…
By Sipho Maluka
Legendary muso Caiphus Semenya’s music is taking centre stage at Joburg Theatre this weekend, with four contemporary South African performers giving new life to the composer’s songbook.
Caiphus Semenya Songbook, running from September 18 to 20, features Nathi, Moneoa, Amanda Black and Nokukhanya Dlamini. The production is directed by Joburg City Theatres artistic director James Ngcobo, with musical direction by composer and musician Tshepo Mngoma.
For audiences who grew up with Semenya’s work, the show offers a chance to hear familiar music anew. For younger listeners, it is an introduction to a songwriter whose compositions have travelled across generations and beyond South Africa’s borders.
Joburg Theatre says the singers will bring their own interpretations to Semenya’s repertoire rather than attempt to recreate earlier performances. Ngcobo’s direction will weave the songs into a theatrical exploration of memory, storytelling and the country’s cultural history, while Mngoma leads their musical interpretation.
A composer, musician and songwriter, Semenya has built a body of work rooted in themes of love, identity, home and resilience. The theatre describes the production as a celebration of a living legacy: music that continues to find meaning through the artists who perform it and the audiences who discover it.
Caiphus Semenya Songbook continues at Joburg Theatre until September 20.
