Wendy misses play launch

Rising Choreos fully musical play No More Tears was premiered in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, last weekend in front of a handful patrons and without one actress, musician Wendy Harawa.

Wendy, expected to make her stage performance debut on Sunday, was reportedly ill.

“Wendy is not feeling well. As such, we had to twist the play a bit just to fill the gap created by her absence. Her role was to act through singing lines of the script as well as at some point, performing her song Munalonjeza. To a certain extent, this affected the play but all in all, we are happy with the way the actors and actresses presented themselves. It was the best they could offer after last minute changes,” said Rising Choreos director Joyce Mhango-Chavula.

“I must acknowledge that her absence created pressure on the main actor Jay, played by Anthony Dumba, as at times, he had to double roles; his and that of Wendy. But we are happy with the way the play has unfolded. We had to find a way of making sure that we still launch it despite her absence,” added Mhango-Chavula.

In a telephone interview, the songstress said she had an asthma attack and failed to perform.

“It’s terrible that I had an attack when I was about to perform, but I look forward to other performances when Rising Choreos communicates to me,” she said.

Nonetheless, the patrons who converged at the Capital City Motel on a cloudy Sunday afternoon enjoyed the musical production.

Commenting on the low turnout, the director, who played the role of leading actress Gina, said that did not affect them in any way.

“It’s been a long time since we performed as Rising Choreos. We had our audience but probably lost it along the way due to lack of performances. We need to go back to the drawing board and find ways of winning back that audience. All the same, we are holding another show possibly this [end of the month] for the play and we are deliberating on the possibility of going to Blantyre with the same,” she said.

No More Tears is a captivating story revolving around unfaithfulness in the face of the HIV and Aids scourge. It is full of music, drama and dancing. Apart from Wendy, the Rising Choreos dance troupe also performs in the play.