There is drama everywhere these days. The Roki and Maneta drama on and off set caught my fellow Zimbabweans offguard. Even drama lovers like myself could not afford to laugh when the news first came out that the childish performance by the two had cost them their continued stay in the Big Brother house.

Well, I will leave conspiracy theorists and social network addicts to pursue this RokiManeta issue. Oh, I almost forgot to inform you, dear reader, that Daves Guzha of Theatre in the Park was planning to bring Roki to theatre, but his plans were scuttled when the controversial urban groover left for BBA. Maybe he will try to lure him to his gazebo again. My guess is it will be more expensive, something we cannot afford in this economy, especially we in the theatre industry.
On another matter  I thought we had finally been left alone as far as the Zimbabwe Music Awards (Zima) farce is concerned.

The guys never tire. I fear they are back and this time we are being told to “brace for the best Zima yet”. Well, I have been waiting for Zima for a long time, but it has not come. Every year we are told the same lie, in fact we get called to Press conferences and cocktails by people claiming to be serious about the awards, but nothing ever materialises.

Listen to this, “the organisers are yet to come up with dates for the country’s most coveted music awards ceremony but indications are that the show will be held before year end”. I rest my case.
I hate lying  so I won’t say I will wait and see what happens with the awards, no. But I look forward to another cocktail, the last one had plenty of alcohol and “eats”.

It is not all gloom, though, on this Zimbabwean stage where drama is never in short supply from politics to sports, the courts and even the church.
There is interesting news coming out of Bulawayo. Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Esrom Nyandoro has indicated that when he hangs his boots, he will not go into coaching like most stars, but would instead take up theatre, “his first love”.

Nyandoro is reported to have visited artistes who were rehearsing Cont Mhlanga’s classic play, Stitsha, at Amakhosi Township Square Cultural Centre.
Truth be told, I await that day and, by the way, it is not far at all. The guy has been playing soccer his entire life and his time to call it quits is not too distant. So theatre aficionados should celebrate, we could be watching Esrom at Theatre in the Park or at Township Square very soon. Perhaps we might start seeing audiences increasing at some of these venues.

As a critic, though, I sincerely hope that he can transform his soccer exploits to the auditorium.
Still on Amakhosi, my grandfather Cont Mhlanga “Umalume” has been a busy man this year. Despite spending a great deal of time on the road travelling between Harare and Bulawayo, the guy is producing plenty of material  productions for the stage, big screen and small screen.

Well, his exploits this year alone deserve a full-page article and as I negotiate with my bosses for that, we leave it here for the day.
While Cont is busy running around with rehearsals and performances, it is his friend in Harare, Guzha, that I’m worried about.
For the umpteenth time Rooftop Promotions, his production house, postponed the premiere of the long-awaited Stephen Chifunyise play, Desperate in Love. I do not know what is happening at the Eastlea-based production house, but I sense a lack of normalcy in the day-to-day operations at the company.

Whatever challenges Guzha and team are facing, we hope this Tuesday the premiere of Chifunyise’s play and the rerun of Sinners next Tuesday will go ahead as planned.

You are our only hope for some action in the city centre, so we pray for the wellbeing of yourself and your organisation.

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