The power within: Our last interview with Andile Gumbi

As Mzansi mourns the death of former Isibaya actor Andile Gumbi, TshisaLIVE reflects on the last time we spoke to the incredible actor.

Andile died in an Israeli hospital on Friday after suffering a cardiac arrest last week.

The star was performing in a production called Daniel The Musical in the country at the time, with the production confirming that his wife had flown out to be at his side.

TshisaLIVE last interviewed Andile in September 2017 when he spoke about the creation of a “reimagined”' King Kong and the challenges he faced in order to be aware of the power he had within.

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Stepping into the life of legendary yet troubled boxer Ezekiel 'King Kong' Dlamini 60 years after the iconic musical King Kong made its debut has been a thrilling learning curve for lead actor Andile Gumbi.

The musical, which defied the law of apartheid first graced stages in 1959 and was responsible for launching the careers of music veterans including the likes of Hugh Masekela and the late Miriam Makeba.

The world-renowned production is based on a true story about the life of heavyweight boxer King Kong who ended his own life after murdering his girlfriend. After six weeks of sold-out shows in Cape Town in July, the show opened to a standing ovation in Johannesburg earlier this month.

Lead actor Andile told TshisaLIVE that he learnt valuable life lessons through portraying King Kong and that the complexity of his character often left him emotional.

“As a person, it challenged me to be aware of the power we have within ourselves to impact our lives either positively or negatively. The choices we make have great impact on our lives and the lives of the people around us. One of the greatest lessons we try to leave with the audience, that has been left with us, is that people have to be careful of their choices,” he said.

The actor said even though the story is “reimagined” for a 2017 audience, it was important for them to honour the original production.

“Our director helped us to reimagine the story. It's like telling the same story just in a different way. In our approach, we wanted to honour the original production. Everything from the way we walked, dressed and talked had to reflect the era of the story without losing the innovation element.

Director of the play Mdu Kwenyama echoed Andile's sentiments, explaining that they were under immense pressure to tell the story correctly and bring a stellar show to life.

“Firstly, the venue in Johannesburg is bigger and therefore there were a lot of technicalities we had to attend to bring an amazing show. But the cast was just amazing and willing to make it work. We also had a lot of pressure to tell the story correctly, because it is our story, there is a lot at stake.”