Muhammad Ali’s audacity, as he shocked the world by knocking out George Foreman, his seemingly unbeatable rival, to regain the world heavyweight title in Kinshasa in 1974, offers an evocative backdrop for an enjoyable night of immersive theatre written by Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu and directed by Miguel H Torres Umba. A London warehouse is turned into the capital of Zaire, as the Democratic Republic of Congo was known then, and an unusual cast of characters mingles with the audience.
David Frost, the television host brought back to life with a wry touch by Timothy O’Hara, ambles over to introduce himself while the aroma of a Congolese food stall and the slinky sound of soukous fills one side of the arena, where Ali entertains the locals with his bravado and wit. The promoter Don King, played by Elliot Rodriguez in the night’s most convincing performance, oozes bullshit and menace as he favours Foreman, the champion.
Press conferences and sparring sessions are held in different areas and the audience is free to roam, eat, drink and talk to the characters. As in 1974, everything changes when Foreman suffers a cut eye while sparring. The Rumble in the Jungle, as King called the first world heavyweight title fight to be held in Africa, was postponed for five weeks with a concert held over three nights. Here, a 25-minute gig breaks out, and the music is captivating. Guy Kelton-Jones is a terrific James Brown, even if he looks more like a cross between Little Richard and Prince than the Godfather of Soul. Anelisa Lamola plays Miriam Makeba, the great South African singer, and her renditions of the Click Song and Pata Pata work well – as does Juanita Euka as Celia Cruz.
Joshua C Jackson captures the confusion that plagued Foreman, while the staging of the fight is enhanced by grainy archive footage that unfurls behind the actors as they show how Ali refused to dance in the ring. For seven rounds he stayed stoically on the ropes – using his now-legendary rope-a-dope strategy – and then dazzled, dropped and defeated Foreman.
The central role, played by Kimane Juneau, is obviously the most challenging. No actor can do real justice to Ali. Juneau makes a valiant effort but he never becomes Ali. I do like him, however, when a few of us are invited into his dressing room just before the fight and a serene Ali soothes the nerves of his anxious trainer, Angelo Dundee, and normally bumptious cheerleader, Bundini Brown.
The damage Ali endured in his otherwise magnificent career is seen in a moving last image tonight, of his bloated face near the end of his life. But he often said he would have changed nothing because of glorious nights like the Rumble in the Jungle.
Boxing, a form of show business with blood, has the dramatic heft to suit immersive theatre. But it is difficult to blend sport and theatre in front of a meagre audience. Other performances have been well attended, but tonight the venue is a quarter full and it’s hard for the actors to sustain a crackling atmosphere. But in a pulsing arena, with a packed crowd, it could become a truly immersive experience. It needs Don King to spread the word with some boxing hoopla.
