After 15 years, the world famous South African musical Sarafina — based on a film about students’ uprising in apartheid South Africa — is back at the Kenya National Theatre.

This is the second time the musical is being performed at the theatre since its debut in 2003. The show premiered on July 12 and will run until July 22.

This year marks the 42nd anniversary of the 1976 uprising and massacre of the students in South Africa, and Sarafina is celebrating its 32nd anniversary.

Stuart Nash, the director of the Kenya National Theatre, said he was excited to host the musical as part of a campaign to pull back audiences to the theatre, and that Sarafina was a perfect choice of past performances that had proved a big hit.

“We are trying to revive the theatre culture of the 1980s and 1990s, hence the choice of a production that was popular in Kenya,” said Nash.

The production features some old and new names of the Kenyan theatre fraternity.

They are Hellen Mtawali, award winning musician Gilad Millo, Patrick Oketch, and Mkamzee Mwatela as Mary Masembuko.

Mtawali had the audience falling off their seats with laughter as she mixed Xhosa, Zulu with Swahili, and, although she had two small roles as the school mistress, her performance stood out.

Mtawali had also taken part in the Sarafina prodution of 2003 as a history teacher who refuses to teach the whitewashed history version of her country, notwithstanding who between black and white people was being painted in bad light.

Millo, 46, an ex-diplomat turned musician, said he had not been on stage since his high school days and was happy to be back. On his role as Lt Bloem and the Interrogator, he said;

“I got a call from Nash and I only realised how difficult the parts were after he pitched them to me. Three rehearsals a week and I was ready, though I had only just a few lines to memorise,” he said.

KNT has lately seen a revamp of performances with artistes, comedians and actors making a comeback.

In the past few months, Nash has re-introduced musicals. KNT has also partnered with the Kenya Cultural Centre to start the Nairobi Performing Arts Studio, an academy to train actors, singers and dancers.

They also offer a production course and are behind recent productions like Jesus Christ Superstar, Grease, and now Sarafina.