Director: Kathy-Jo Ross
Where: African Bank Market Theatre
When: Tuesday to Thursday at 8pm. Friday and Saturday 6pm and 9pm. Sunday 3pm
A ye ye! It doesn't hurt to have a lead drummer called Africa for a show which promises, then delivers, a hands-on drumming experience for everybody.
Nicholas "Africa" Djane, from Ghana, whose toothy smile and dancer's physique is only outshone by his virtuosity on the djembe and talking drum, adds West African spice to a South African celebration.
Since its birth at the Liberty Theatre two years ago, Drumstruck has began evolving into something quite unique. With new musical director Anthony Caplan on board, this communal drumming adventure is better than ever.
The basic production and performance elements of Drumstruck are still in place, but certain shifts and cast changes, like the irresistible Enoch Mahlangu, not to mention a much larger performance space, have created some very special synergies.
Drumstruck, conceived by Warren Lieberman and co-created by director Kathy-Jo Ross, ventures into African performance. The challenge - in presenting indigenous cultural forms in a formal theatrical space - is to stage without being stagey, and to preserve individual expression within an ensemble context.
So many strands of our cultural and theatrical traditions are roped in for this 90-minute voyage into having a lot of fun and learning a lot about each other along the way.
There are so many legacies which feed into Drumstruck - from the director, who grew up in a leading showbiz family, through to the Amakhono we Sinto traditional music maestros from Alex. These connections, twinned with a training strategy by a host of specialists, including drum director Richard Carter, also tap into our theatrical and musical heritage.
The latest version of Drumstruck, through members of its cast, and rooted African style, pay homage to Soweto Dance Theatre's Jackie Semela as well as the spirit of Matsemela Manaka.
In the 1980s, pieces such as Toro: An African Dream, introduced us to facets of African culture. Nomsa Manaka did her African-American-inspired ostrich dance. In Drumstruck this game bird, and other animals, impeccably appear in their Khoisan form.
The grace of the female African body is epitomised by Manaka Ranaka; master drummer-in-the-making Tiny Modise and Amakhona's Nkele Matnibela. The quality of the dancing, with the exception of the gumboots, is exception-al.
Authenticity and African ingenuity rule. Drumstruck is calling your name.