EIF: Inala
The Lyceum 14/8/26
Produced by Sisters Grimm: Pietra Mello-Pittman MBE and Ella Spira MBE
Music Co-composition: Joseph Shabalala, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and Ella Spira MBE
Choreographer: Mark Baldwin OBE
“Inala was born from a shared vision between cultures - to honour musical heritage, celebrate diversity, and unite audiences through performance.” Announced as the replacement for a cancelled production a mere fifteen days before the start of this year’s Festival, it’s a testament to the pulling power of the EIF to be able to summon up such a lauded production at short notice. The original production of Inala (the Zulu word means ‘abundance of goodwill’) premiered at the 2014 EIF to rave reviews, and in the years since has toured internationally. Last year it underwent a revamp and relaunch: instead of the original stellar lineup of singers from the choir Ladysmith Black Mambazo and dancers from Rambert and the Royal Ballet, there is now an ensemble of seven singer-dancers and two singer-dancers who also play drums and piano, all from Soweto.
Due to the last-minute substitution there were no programmes or free sheets. Nor were there any surtitles, and since it was (of course) sung in Zulu, with no obvious breaks between numbers, it was not easy to understand the subtle nuances of the songs. But the emotions were always clear. The overall story was one of celebration and overcoming obstacles, with a love story, and a quarrel, ending in unity.
The singing was based on traditional South African isicathamiya and mbube unaccompanied singing in harmony, but here it was mostly accompanied by a soundtrack based on traditional Zulu music. It was partly live, the piano and drums at the back of the stage behind a screen, and partly pre-recorded. It was also very loud, so much so that the singers occasionally had trouble being heard despite the main singers being miked up. When they were singing together there was no such difficulty, and the very few moments when they sang in harmony unaccompanied were beautiful.
The dance element combined Zulu tribal movement and contemporary dance. The athletic singer-dancers told the story with powerful and emotional harmonies and rhythmic, energetic body movements. Marching, running on the spot, jumping and highkicking, moving in unison and separately, they often formed a chorus line of continual movement and sound behind the solo singers.
Was it a performance of connected songs with dance movement, or a dance performance with songs? All three components: song, music, and dance were equally important. It was quite unique. The energetic, enthusiastic, and exhausting performance was well received by a capacity audience.
Inala is at the Lyceum until Sunday 16 August. Tickets here: https://www.eif.co.uk/events/inala-2026#dates-and-times
https://sisters-grimm.co.uk/inala/
Photo credit: Andrew Perry/EIF
