Performance evaluation. Makwacha Hip Hopera, originally The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht is a comical and modern version of the text. The adaptation was very cleverly devised by Nanzikambe using the original version for structure and pl

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Drama Coursework- Performance Review

by Alexandra Demetriou

Play:  Makwacha Hip Hopera (The Threepenny Opera)

Performed by:  Nanzikambe

Date: Saturday 20th March 2010

Venue: French Cultural Centre, Blantyre

   

         “Makwacha Hip Hopera”, originally “The Threepenny Opera” by Bertolt Brecht is a comical and modern version of the text. The adaptation was very cleverly devised by Nanzikambe using the original version for structure and plot but taking on a modern Malawian theme. Set in our own hometown-Blantyre, the audience could easily relate to the characters and overall plot, making it enjoyable and easy to follow. The play revolves around Polly, a young British girl who falls in love at first sight with, and later secretly marries, Panga knife Mac, a highly wanted Malawian gangster and womanizer. However her Malawian parents (who adopted her) strongly disapprove of the marriage as they know of Mac’s criminal reputation and desperately want to get him arrested- which eventually happens.

        “Makwacha Hip Hopera” shows the differences in culture between the British and Malawian. The clash in culture is clearly shown in the scene where the couple is getting married and Mac’s gang disapproves and is shocked that he is marrying a white woman. Their facial expressions were very effective in showing their shock and they shook their heads to show their disapproval. The play also attempts to show the large gap in society between the relatively rich and the poverty stricken people, showing a great deal of status differences- the play portrays how the richer people in this case, such as Mr Phiri (Polly’s father), take advantage over the poor and use the country’s poverty as a source of “income.” The audience became almost appalled by these people’s greed and lack of sympathy towards the poor population of the country. Another message which is explored in the play is the corruption of the police- this is understood as the audience is told that the chief of police had been helping Panga Knife Mac all those years to avoid jail for all the crimes he had committed. This showed the lack of trust and the lack of control that the police had over the country and the characters used to play the police were also very weak, showing that they were easily manipulated. One last theme which was depicted in the play was religion- the way the characters spoke of the bible was to me, almost mocking and it was not taken seriously at all. This mocking was shown through the Pastor who Mr Phiri dressed as a “prophet” and who he used to manipulate other people and follow his works. Mr Phiri showed how little he thought of the bible and how he considered himself to be a “Saint” when clearly he was manipulating people by making them think that he was an honest and religious man.

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        I think that this play was mostly targeted towards young adults as well as a Malawian audience as there were many local references made such as “bwana” (sir) when the gang was referring to Mac. The content also addressed many controversial ideas such as politics, government, religion and sexuality. Also the modern content would have been more appealing to a young audience as they could easily relate to the characters, references, slang language and the present day life depicted.

          It was a very entertaining ...

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