Joyful, musical, energetic story-telling for Sydney season
OUT OF AFRICA 14-29 October
Zimbabwe-born singer-actor Tarisai Vushe, dancer Emilia Nwakpa and rapper and poet Samuel Barrie debut the power-packed musical about their amazing, shared journeys from African villages to suburban Sydney! Live at the Seymour Centre Sound Lounge in October.
The three performers share their journey and the importance of their chosen artform in maintaining their sense of identity, hope and culture. Tarisai Vushe sings popular international and Australian songs of different styles, as well as African songs, and reflects on life in Africa and here – finding some surprising similarities as well as differences. Tarisai has had roles in The Lion King, Madiba (Mandela), and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She’s also appeared in Australia’s Got Talent.
Samuel Barrie celebrates his life, from his arrival as a refugee with his parents, in remarkable rap composition. Emilia Nwakpa brings the electric energy of modern Afro dance to stage and Jonathan Chaga joins the show with powerful drums, keyboard and dance.
Co-written with Geoffrey Sykes, this is a show full of energy, upbeat music, comedy and storytelling, offering a positive, entertaining & distinct perspective of what it is to be an Afro-Australian in 2022.
In an exciting collage of traditional African and modern Australian song, dance, storytelling, rap, legend, comedy and more, their inspiring migrant stories will entrance audiences. Along the way audiences are invited to share visions of Africa’s past and Australia’s present – with dramatic differences… as well as some surprising common ground – along the way!
Writing and direction is collaborative in this culturally-inspired performance.
Don’t miss this uplifting show, full of energy, great music, some tears… and much laughter!
OUT OF AFRICA – with TARISAI VUSHE, Samuel Barrie, Emilia Nwakpa & Jonathan Chaga
Seymour Centre Sound Lounge, Corner City Road & Cleveland Street, Redfern
Fri 14, Fri 21, Sat 22 and Sat 29 October 8pm, matinee 22 Oct 4pm | running time 100 mins
REVIEWS
A marvellous collaboration. Emilia Nwakpa discussed how dance can be an escape from the harsh realities of disadvantage and a joyful celebration at weddings, cultural events, funerals or just an end of the week party. She then launched into electrifying routines displaying brilliant rhythm, energy and flexibility. It was exhilarating, joyful and very impressive… After intermission the lush piano of Jonathan Chagaresango introduced the rich and powerful voice of Tarisai Vushe to the stage… Tarisai is joined on stage by rapper and spoken word artist Samuel Barrie. Samuel arrived here as a four year old refugee. He performed a piece about his first memory on arriving here and the absence of black faces… Tarisai and Samuel exchanged stories about the African experience in Australia, including both subtle and overt racism but also the wonderful opportunities they have benefited from being here… Some members of the audience were invited to join in the joyous and energetic dance. .. OUT OF AFRICA is written and directed as a collaboration between Geoffrey Sykes, Tarisai Vushe, Samuel Barrie, and Emilia Nwakpa, and is being performed at the Seymour Centre until Saturday,
29th October 2022.
There’s a gem of a show on at the Seymour Centre’s Sound Lounge that you simply must not miss.
It is the collaboratively devised variety show called Out of Africa, in which three performers, after waiting for the Covid restrictions to lift, finally share their stories of migrating to Australia.
In the first half, talented young dancer Emilia Nwakpa took us on a journey of different African dance styles, mesmerising her audience with her grace, skill, strength and extraordinary physical vitality. It was a dazzling performance indeed, and will be even more polished when the slight glitches in the timing of the music are fixed and she develops more confidence on the stage. If that was not enough to justify the price of the ticket, the second half was largely filled with the powerful voice of Tarisai Vushe, whose repertoire ranged over traditional African songs, popular American hits and some Australian works, among other genres. In full command of the stage, she told stories of encountering racism in Australia and was particularly shocked when she went to an Australian bar-b-q party for the first time and found there was no dancing, just talking and drinking. Once you see her perform, you will never forget her face and her powerful voice.
Tall, good-looking model and rapper Samuel Barrie also shared stories, poems and songs about his life in Australia, sometimes in conversation with Tarisai.
The modest Jonathan Chaga provided essential keyboard backup. …I cannot recommend this show highly enough, and you might miss it as it is tucked away in the downstairs Sound Lounge at the Seymour Centre in Chippendale.
Out of Africa is a story full of singing and story-telling as Tarisai Vushe describes what it was like moving from Zimbabwe to Australia at 14 years of age. The show was co-written by Geoffrey Sykes and includes Samuel Barrie who raps his journey and arrival as a refugee, as well as featuring pianist Jonathan Chaga.
Before Out of Africa, the first 35-minutes of the night featured Emilia Nwakpa who performed Afro contemporary dance whilst describing the importance of it in her heritage and culture of Nigeria. Her set called African Beauty features a variety of dances and a change of costume and hair which she describes can change her look and how people view her. Whilst wonderfully demonstrating a dynamic style of dance and utilising fun and energetic music, Emilia needed more direction in her script which could have been more linearly narrated.
In Out of Africa, we hear Tari’s talented voice and see her skills as a performer as demonstrated by her numerous roles such as Lion King, Madiba and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Jonathan and Tari work well together on the stage, and Barrie provides an extra element with his rap. As we hear Tari sing, sometimes Jonathan plays and other times a track is used. I would have preferred more live piano, but I did enjoy the interchangeable ways in which they chose piano versus tracks for certain pieces. Whilst Tari beautifully sings covers of songs such as Africa by Toto and Great Southern Land, she also sings traditional African songs and as such opened her act singing one. Her clear tone was pure and rich, and no song faulted her vocals.
The tapestry covering the back wall and the traditional headdresses and clothes that Emilia and Tari were wearing in their separate shows were colourful and vibrant. The friendly chatter between Samuel and Tari was casual and inviting for the audience, as they recounted their childhoods in Africa and how moving to Australia was for them. Tari was friendly and approachable in her narration, and she captivated the audience with her stories of acclimatising to Australian culture. Whilst adding comedic elements, Tari also describes the hardships and tribulations of moving countries and how it was hard to fit in at times. As well as this, Samuel and Tari connect over the discriminations faced in the arts and performing industry. Overall, the duality of hearing about Tari’s move and Samuel as a refugee, Out of Africa was a story full of dance and narration. The audience was dancing and laughing along with the performers and most were more than eager to join in on the final dance.
Sydney Morning Herald (article)
