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“The Song of Jacob Zulu,” not seen on stage in nearly 30 years, opens Thursday in Tulsa

"The Song of Jacob Zulu" opens in Tulsa Thursday, January 27, 2022

TULSA — A Tulsa production of “The Song of Jacob Zulu,” set to open Thursday, will revive a work not seen live since it left Broadway in 1993.

The play centers on a bombing of a shopping mall in South Africa in 1985, during the height of the violent clashes between the government of South Africa and its majority black population over the policies of Apartheid.

It’s essentially a tragedy, and is told partly through the use of a device employed at the very beginnings of theater in ancient Greece - a chorus.

This chorus, however, doesn’t just speak.

Its members sing as well, helping drive the narrative as the trial takes place for the suspect in the bombing.

Based on actual incidents, “The Song of Jacob Zulu” touches on topics very familiar to Americans after incidents like the murder of George Floyd touched off racially-tinged protests, and at times even riots, across the country.

And of course, the anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre also continues to drive conversations about racial divides, reconciliation, and reparation.

But Kelli McLoud-Schingen, a founder and Artistic Director of Tulsa’s World Stage Theatre Company, tells KRMG she’s want to resurrect this play for a very long time, and its current production wasn’t timed for any particular reason involving politics or current events.

“It’s a story that has haunted me since 1993,” she told KRMG earlier this week.

She saw the original production in Chicago, before it moved to Broadway in 1993, because a close friend had a role in the show.

“I just came to see my friend in a play. So, I was supporting a friend - I knew nothing about what was going to happen, or what it was going to be about. And I saw it and it... it blew me away.”

The show garnered 6 Tony nominations in 1993, including Best Play.

But its run on Broadway was short-lived, and for whatever reason, it has never been staged since.

Until now, of course.

Performances will take place at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center’s Liddy Doenges Theater.

Show times are:

  • Thursday, January 27 - 8:00 p.m.
  • Friday January 28 - 8:00 p.m.
  • Saturday January 29 - 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
  • Sunday January 30 - 2:00 p.m.
  • Friday February 4 - 8:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, February 5, 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
  • Sunday, February 6, 2:00 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased online through the Tulsa Performing Arts Center.



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