Legend makes debut

| Tuesday March 20, 2012 00:00

The veteran playwright was instead putting final touches to a new play he planned on launching at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown later this year - a follow-up to his highly successful Nothing But The Truth, which showed at the Market Theatre.

Kani said this weekend: 'Because we won the pitch to do Inkaba, I've had to postpone my new play. I'd written it, and I was waiting to identify a director, have castings and then speak to the Market Theatre, Baxter Theatre, State Theatre and the Playhouse to see where I would open it.'

Kani said he's already received offers to stage the new play in New York and London, but said he had refused, because he would like to stage it locally first.

While he won't reveal the title, he revealed it's another 'Shakespearean classic'. But why would such a revered writer pigeonhole himself and refuse to get into soapies? An almost embarrassed Kani said: 'It comes from the fact that when, as an actor, you become so successful and you create a reputation that you're a superior actor.

But as you grow older, you realise that you need to diversify and that this industry is broad.'Kani, a board member at Urban Brew Studios, was asked by CEO Danie Ferreira to head its pitch for the commission. Four companies had responded and then two were requested to pilot their proposals.

Kani, who also came up with SABC1's Khumbul' Ekhaya, said he simply wanted a story that would unite families.

Set amid love triangles, forbidden love and underhanded operations during the struggle years, the 208-episode show is also expected to feature, like the long-running US soapie The Bold and the Beautiful, two rival fashion houses. 'The formula for [telenovelas] is frivolous subjects,' Kani said.

'You find all these stories of a rich man falling in love with a poor girl, or enemies from different tribes falling in love - a doomed love - but a telenovela always has a happy ending.'

Kani said they preferred to be around 12 episodes ahead. 'We want to accommodate any incidentals. Suppose Barack Obama arrives in South Africa or it's discovered Brenda Fassie didn't die but is in Thohoyandou [like maskandi singer Mgqumeni Khumalo who recently resurrected from the dead].'

He said he hoped there would be a second Inkaba season. Inkaba, which features Nakedi Ribane, Ernest Ndlovu, Jason Greer, Ilse Klink, Samkelo Ndlovu and Dumisani Mbebe, premiered last night at 8.30pm on Mzansi Magic on DStv. (Timeslive.co.za)