Namibian jukebox opera heads to the stage

Opera is set to meet musical theatre and the poetry of Leonard Cohen as budding operatic talent Galilei Njembo and newcomer Othello Joseph present ‘You Have Loved Enough’.

The jukebox opera will be staged at Windhoek High School Auditorium on 31 July and 1 August and follows the lives of two artists who must navigate the ups and downs of ambition, love, loss, familial duty, human connection and mental health.

Written by Njembo alongside theatre veteran Sandy Rudd, who will also direct the production, ‘You Have Loved Enough’ takes its title and narrative cohesion from Cohen’s poetry and pays homage to a number of acclaimed theatre pieces.

“A jukebox opera alludes to jukebox musical – a genre of musical theatre which incorporates music from various popular artists, often from pop and rock genres. In our production, we incorporate music from various opera and classical art song creating a new and unique sub-genre of theatre,” Njembo says.

“I developed this further to include musical theatre numbers and some choral selections which include Namibian languages Rukwangali and Otjiherero. One of the main musical themes is by Namibian composer Kievido Tjimune.”

The two-person opera will also feature pieces by composers Gaetano Donizetti, Georges Bizet, Gabriel Fauré, Michel Berger and Samuel Barber, as well as music from ‘Parade’, ‘West Side Story’ and ‘Les Miserables’.

Closer to home, ‘You Have Loved Enough’ will additionally present the talent of the Let’s Sing Ensemble, which Njembo describes as “a vocal force of 11 singers easily filling every corner of every auditoria with their unique and colourful vocal blend”.

“In terms of music, there is nothing short of virtuosity and flare, but still familiarity. Most of the pieces selected showcase vocal and dramatic range, while likely being something almost everyone must have heard before,” says Njembo.

No stranger to the stage himself, Njembo has performed in Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Germany and Namibia and starred in Namibian opera ‘Chief Hijangua’.

He was also a lead soloist in Canadian-American composer Luna Woolf’s ‘The Limit of the Sun’ and ‘Number Our Days: A Photographic Oratorio’.

The artist’s musical background and passion for opera are part of the reason he conceived the production.

“As a trained opera singer, I want to bring to light how opera is more accessible than assumed. In the industry we refer to the old school singing as “parking-and-barking” – when singers stand on stage solemnly and still and belt their voices into the auditorium with little use of acting and staging to bring the opera to life,” he says.

“I intend to show the Namibian community that opera is just another form of storytelling, and that acting and choreography beautifully align with this genre. To achieve this, I knew I had to begin with something that highlights the best parts/numbers of the operatic canon while still captivating an audience with a fresh and relatable story.”

‘You Have Loved Enough’ is supported by the National Arts Council of Namibia.

Njembo describes the production as “for the people” with regard to reasonable price, central location, wheelchair access and surtitles for the non-English segments.

“For a more sensitive appreciation of this genre, I also include local songs sung operatically to emulate the versatility of the genre,” he says.

“Ultimately, we also use opera and theatre, in this instance, as a form of artistic advocacy.”

While Joseph (‘Forty Years of Fabulous’) and Njembo have previously worked with Rudd, ‘You Have Loved Enough’ marks a particularly intense meeting of minds and purpose.

“Both Othello and I have been drawn to Sandy’s spontaneous but inclusive approach to directing. Her deep understanding of storytelling through theatre is priceless,” Njembo says.

“We are shivering with excitement to finally share what we do with the rest of Windhoek.”

‘You Have Loved Enough’ will be on show at Windhoek High School Auditorium on 31 July and 1 August.

Tickets are available via Webtickets and at the door from 18h00.

– martha@namibian.com.na; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com

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