Featuring Thabani Mahlobo, Mbongeni Ngema and Deon Maas
Special Guest Appearances by “king of Zulu guitar” Madala Kunene and Joseph Shabalala of Ladysmith Black Mambazo
The Stable Theatre was the first independent black theatre in South Africa, founded in the racially and culturally mixed city of Durban. Its most famous product is Broadway playwright and pop star Mbongeni Ngema, a controversial figure tainted by scandal and accusations of racism. In an attempt to return to his roots, Ngema begins work on an ambitious new musical designed to tell the Stable’s history. Unseen fault lines are crossed, and corruption, fraud and politics threaten to engulf the project. At the same time, the film’s producer Deon Maas unexpectedly becomes a reality TV celebrity and decides to use his new public notoriety to investigate the situation. As the musical collapses and the theatre itself slides into failure, the film becomes a road movie through the minefield of contemporary South African politics and a search for the deeper problems at the heart of the Stable Theatre’s collapse.
