Having lost one home - the Shaftesbury - because of the local council serving a Noise Abatement Order on the theatre earlier this year, South African dance show Umoja has, after several months in the wilderness, found a new home at the Queen's where it opens on June 18.
Umoja features a variety of dance styles, from tribal to modern, and is one of the most extraordinary shows to have emerged from South Africa, a country whose previous show at the Queen's — The Mysteries (performed on June 20 and 21 at Wilton's Music Hall) — also showed what a seedbed of theatrical talent South Africa is proving to be.
During its very successful run at the Shaftesbury, Umoja impressed the critics and dazzled the public with the sheer energy of its performers, the rhythm of its drum-based music and the spectacle of its dancing, accompanied by haunting African songs.
—By Paul Webb Theatrenow
