I'm intrigued by this new TV mini-series that started airing on South Africa's SABC1 last week Thursday night.
Titled Dream World, it's a contemporary all-black South African adaptation of William Shakespeare‘s A Midsummer Nights Dream, and follows 4 young lovers as they face several comedic challenges on their way to finding true love.
This dance of desire will be familiar to the youthful South Africa, and hopefully the series will give them pause for thought. Who amongst them hasn’t been swept along by infatuation? And who hasn’t felt as if they’ve stepped into a dream? Dream World takes place in a predominantly artificial world located within the hospitality industry. The setting is an all in one estate that offers plenty of luxury. This world is a world where people are actively seeking diversion, and strange liaisons are made to be broken, dreams are dashed, and the central section of the miniseries sees the couples swapping partners as if they were to be sampled.
Shakespeare’s own A Midsummer Nights Dream takes place mostly in a forest, and is essentially an ensemble piece with various protagonists, most of whom quickly fall in and out of love. The single constant is a royal couple who are about to celebrate their wedding, while the other characters are constantly changing their minds and allegiances.
The miniseries reportedly attracted the cream of South African talent, including: Lungelo Dhladhla; Pope Jerrod; Jafta Mamabolo; Kgomotso Momo Matsunyane; Lala Tuku; Lindani Nkosi; Bubu Mazibuko; Leti Ndubane; and Phumi Mncayi.
The series was created and directed by Minky Schlesinger, who co-wrote the script with Busisiwe Ntintili.
New episodes will be broadcast weekly. There are a total of 4 hour-long episodes in the miniseries.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find any video for this; not even a trailer online. But I'd love to hear from our readers in South Africa who might be watching.
There's a lot happening in South African film and TV entertainment that we're missing here in the USA. How to bridge that gap…
