Mlima's Tale

A woeful cost to human desires

Fresh from her triumphant drama Sweat, staged at Studio 54 in 2017, Lynn Nottage haunting new play follows the tragic journey of Mlima, a magnificent female elephant through the internationally condemned, illegal ivory trade. Starting in the African heartland, the trail that she is forced to follow takes us through the horrors and moneyed deals that span across the globe. We experience her fears and memories, we witness the extraordinary wants and needs of the poachers, all the way through the trade to the usually faceless buyers who covet her treasured tusks for luxury goods.

What to expect

A two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner, Nottage focuses her work on an African icon of majesty, threatened by the whims and desires of moneyed elite. Her penultimate drama, Sweat follows a similar theme in that social issues form the center of the story. A searing portrayal of a group of friends pitted against each other in order to save their jobs amidst cutbacks, Nottage's work was described by critics as incredibly timely for the state of employment in America.

It's a desperate situation which spurs on reckless actions, and two friends, Jason and Chris, are sent to jail for taking part in a violent crime. Eight years later they're released, and find their old hometown to be a very different place. The pair head to a local bar where they meet up with friends and family, and as they all discuss the economic woes of their hometown, the real story of Jason and Chris's crimes is revealed.