Mercy Madonna of Malawi

This year The World is thrilled to be bringing a world premiere production direct from Malawi, entitled Mercy Madonna of Malawi. This project was written and directed by Toby Gough and is produced in collaboration with The British Council and Theatre for Change, a Malawian organisation involved in AIDS awareness and education.

It is performed with music, dance, comedy, masks and powerful drama, and tells the story of Mercy James and David Banda, the two orphans adopted by Madonna, as well as the story of the orphans who are left behind. It shows the problems of AIDS, child labour and child trafficking, and confronts the ethical issues raised by the adoption of African children by Western millionaires. In spite of its serious issues it is an uplifting and thrilling piece of world theatre.

The Scottish composer John Kielty is working with Ben Michael, a wonderful Malawian song-writer to create some stirring and entertaining original music for the production. Kielty won the Cameron Mackintosh award for Scotland’s best musical theatre composer in 2008.

An African Dance Musical. "Hilarious, heartbreaking, unmissable". A collaboration between Malawi's most exciting reggae star and Scotland's John Kielty winner of the Cameron Mackintosh Award for Best New Musical in Scotland. The true story of the girl Madonna adopted and the case that divided the world. A modern day African Annie. The moral maze when celebrity and poverty collide. "...an emotional roller-coaster"