July 2006
African Footprints at the Deutsches Theater
“The hypnotic heartbeat of the African drum, the soulful saxophone and the haunting pennywhistle, meld Afro- and Euro-centric music and dance—Kwela-jive, traditional gumboot, tap, contemporary ballet, hip-hop pantsula—into an ‘explosive stampede of song and dance’ that tells the vibrant and diverse history of South Africa.”
This is how the show’s promoters describe South Africa’s longest-running musical, African Footprints, which will hit the stage of the Deutsches Theater from August 8 to 20. And that bit of self-advertising is no hype. After seeing the performance this spring, Rakesh Mehar, a reporter writing for India’s The Hindu newspaper, enthused: “Although the performance ran for over 90 minutes, at the end of it all, as I finally remembered to breathe again, I couldn’t help but feel that it was still too short. The sheer variety and range left the audience feeling as if the production had flashed by in an instant…” Tickets for African Footprints can be purchased online at www.deutsches-theater.de, or by calling or visiting most local ticket outlets.
