A01=Dr Tyler Fleming
A01=Tyler Fleming
African Musicals
African Theatre
Age Group_Uncategorized
Age Group_Uncategorized
apartheid era
Author_Dr Tyler Fleming
Author_Tyler Fleming
automatic-update
Category1=Non-Fiction
Category=ANF
Category=ATD
Category=HBJH
Category=HBLW3
Category=HBTB
Category=JBFA1
Category=JFFJ
Category=JFSL1
Category=NHH
Category=NHTB
COP=United States
cultural resistance
Delivery_Delivery within 10-20 working days
eq_art-fashion-photography
eq_bestseller
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
interracial collaboration
Interracial Musical Theatre
Jazz Opera
Language_English
Music Theatre
Musical History
PA=Available
political art
Popular Culture
Price_€20 to €50
PS=Active
social change
softlaunch
South African theater
theatrical innovation
Product details
- ISBN 9781648250798
- Weight: 516g
- Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 19 Mar 2024
- Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Paperback
- Language: English
Secure
checkout
Fast Shipping
Easy returns
A captivating account of an interracial jazz opera that took apartheid South Africa by storm and marked a turning point in the nation's cultural history.
In 1959, King Kong, an interracial jazz opera, swept across South Africa and became a countrywide phenomenon. Its performances sold out, its LP record was widely heard, and its cast became recognized celebrities. Featuring an African composer, cast, and orchestra but predominantly white directors and producers, this interracial production seemed completely distinct from any other theatrical production in the country's history. Despite being staged over a decade after the enacting of apartheid, the interracial collaboration met widespread acclaim that bridged South Africa's racial, political, ethnic, and class fissures.
Widely considered a watershed moment within the history of South African theater and music, King Kong encapsulated key currents within South African cultural history. Author Tyler Fleming's gripping narrative unpacks the life of the musical, from the emergence of the heavyweight boxer "King Kong" Dlamini to the behind-the-scenes dynamics of rehearsals to the musical's 1961 tour of Britain and the later experience of cast members living in exile for their opposition to apartheid. Opposing Apartheid on Stage: "King Kong" the Musical explores the history of this jazz opera and its enduring legacy in both South African history and global popular culture.
TYLER FLEMING is Associate Professor in the Departments of History & Pan-African Studies at the University of Louisville in Louisville, KY. He received his PhD in African History from the University of Texas at Austin in 2009.
