February 23, 2007
In blood stepp'd in so far
Does this story ring a bell? An aged king is murdered and replaced by a bloodthirsty and paranoid dictator who slaughters everyone who gets in his way. Rebels mass on the border, storm in and topple the tyrant.
Yes - it is the Tragedy of Mengistu Macbeth.
Last week, a newish drama group called Addis Stage got a chance to perform the tragedy in Menelik's Palace, high up on Entoto, overlooking Addis Ababa. I had the small - but key - role of Lennox/Sergeant (you'll remember his three, pivotal speeches).
It was an amazing setting. How often to you get to strut around a historic monument, covered in stage blood and waving a sword?
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church agreed to let Addis Stage stage the play on its property on the understanding that there was nothing anti-Christian in the script. Apparently the thing that they were most worried about was any kissing. The weird sisters, the curses, the blood-letting and the shrieks of tortured souls were clearly less of a problem. After all, the good guys won in the end.
Best Macbeth line by far:
Light thickens, and the crow
Makes wing to the rooky wood.
Good things of day begin to droop and drowse,
While night's black agents to their preys do rouse.
Macbeth Act 3 Scene 2
Posted by aheavens at February 23, 2007 12:09 PM
Comments
Interesting. So this is why you disappeared, huh? :-)
That almost looks like an all-European cast. What/who was the production for/by?
Talking of Shakespeare, the only time i ever saw Othello was in a Theater in Ethiopia. It wasn't Beherawi. Mazagaja, maybe? Anyhow it was an all-Ethiopian cast. I was very young and somewhere in there it totally escaped me that Othello was a moor. In years that followed, I never read the book. One day I came across two covers of Othello in a video store and I made an offhand comment about how they made the main character black in both cases. My friend looked at me as if to say 'you idiot!'. Shakespeare in Ethiopia/Amharic, very confusing.
I also once came across Hamlet translated into Amharic. Never got past the 2nd page.
Posted by: Tobian at February 23, 2007 10:08 PM
Yes it was predominantly a English/Scottish/Italian/American/Canadian/Ghanaian/Zimbabwean cast, with four Ethiopians on stage. But that wasn't on purpose. The next time there's an audition, I'll post it here to try and get more people to turn up. There is talk of putting something on around the Millennium - or just before ferengi Christmas.
As for who it was for, the audiences were about 60/40 non-Ethiopian/Ethiopian. The 100/50 Birr ticket prices may have been something to do with that. But the venue was not cheap.
About the play. Is it true that a production of Macbeth was put on during the Mengistu era, but it was canceled after the first night?
Posted by: Andrew at February 24, 2007 4:55 AM
About Macbeth ... not sure. If Dergue prevented it from being performed, i'd be very curious to know the reason
I saw Othello during Dergue times, in a state theater, so i don't think they'd something against Shakespeare.
Posted by: Tobian at February 26, 2007 8:51 PM