LET IT RAIN
Dewey Fleszar & Mkhululi Mabija (2010)
Music by Dewey Fleszar
Book and Lyrics by Mkhululi Z. Mabija
After creating the the sun, moon, and stars, The Great Creator performs her final act of creation and makes the Earth. Now bereft of her powers, she challenges her two daughters Kadu and Badu, both of whom are creators-in-training, to create a perfect being to care for her new planet. Badu carefully crafts one single being, who she names Davu and traps in a tree so that he can not run away; Kadu haphazardly creates a small menagerie of beings named Tila, Kela, and Nosisi, and then finally Nomvula, her fourth and final creation.
LET IT RAIN follows these characters through the hot desert of sub-Saharan Africa as they each search for something different - something that they eventually find in one another. Featuring a lush, earthy song-score and and a predominantly-female cast, this loose adaptation of the South African tale of creation tells a magical 'new' story of how life on earth just may have come to be.
Book and Lyrics by Mkhululi Z. Mabija
After creating the the sun, moon, and stars, The Great Creator performs her final act of creation and makes the Earth. Now bereft of her powers, she challenges her two daughters Kadu and Badu, both of whom are creators-in-training, to create a perfect being to care for her new planet. Badu carefully crafts one single being, who she names Davu and traps in a tree so that he can not run away; Kadu haphazardly creates a small menagerie of beings named Tila, Kela, and Nosisi, and then finally Nomvula, her fourth and final creation.
LET IT RAIN follows these characters through the hot desert of sub-Saharan Africa as they each search for something different - something that they eventually find in one another. Featuring a lush, earthy song-score and and a predominantly-female cast, this loose adaptation of the South African tale of creation tells a magical 'new' story of how life on earth just may have come to be.
SAMPLE SONGS
SOMETHING, SOMETHING (NOMVULA)
Nomvula sees that everything in nature has a counterpart except for her; she longs for something else to complete her.
Performed by Nikki M. James
Performed by Nikki M. James
LET ME BE FREE (DAVU)
Davu longs to escape from the confines of his tree and be free to explore the world.
Performed by Michael Jean Dozier
Performed by Michael Jean Dozier
PITY (TILA, KELA, NOSISI)
After Kadu creates Nomvula, her first three creations - Tila, Kela, and Nosisi - become jealous of Nomvula's beauty and intelligence. The three concoct a plan to get rid of Nomvula once and for all.
Performed by Anita Vasan, Marie-France Arcilla, and Rheaume Crenshaw
Performed by Anita Vasan, Marie-France Arcilla, and Rheaume Crenshaw
LIFT ME (DAVU)
After a frustrating conversation with Badu (his mother/creator), Davu turns to the stars for guidance.
Performed by Michael Jean Dozier
Performed by Michael Jean Dozier
SONDELA, COME CLOSER (NOMVULA, DAVU)
After a long and terrifying journey through a dark forest, Nomvula emerges on the other side to find Davu, still stuck in his tree trunk.
Performed by Nikki M. James and Michael Jean Dozier
Performed by Nikki M. James and Michael Jean Dozier
GOTTA GIVE IT UP (TILA, KELA, NOSISI, KA-U-LA BIRD)
Tila, Kela and Nosisi attempt to follow Nomvula down the path and into the forest. At the foot of the path they encounter a two-headed bird that challenges them to a riddle; if they can answer the riddle they may enter the forest, and if not they will pluck out one of the sisters' eyes. After all three incorrectly attempt to solve the riddle, Tila and Nosisi try to convince Kela that she should give up her eyes for the greater good.
Performed by Anita Vasan, Marie-France Arcilla, Rheaume Crenshaw, Carla Friend, and Dewey Fleszar
Performed by Anita Vasan, Marie-France Arcilla, Rheaume Crenshaw, Carla Friend, and Dewey Fleszar
For sheet music, EMAIL DEWEY.
