Mlima’s Tale

Review
“Clear, uncluttered, and hard-hitting… A play of rare beauty, rare understanding, and great moral power.” -- Christopher Arnott ― Hartford Courant
“Mlima’s Tale, a haunting drama about avarice and ivory, offers a dramatic reminder that the majestic beasts endure things no living creature would want to recall… This lacerating and lyrical play leaves a mark.” -- Joe Dziemianowicz ― New York Daily News
“An enthralling piece of theater that tells a fascinating story in a daringly original way… Riveting.” -- Terry Teachout ― Wall Street Journal
“Tightly crafted… Mlima’s Tale is dedicated to excavating the gnarly human details behind the assault on one of the planet’s most endangered animals.” -- Sara Holdren ― Vulture
“A beautiful, endlessly echoing portrait of a murder and its afterlife. Ms. Nottage shaped this story with such theatrical inventiveness and discipline that it never feels sensational… A finely wrought fusion of elements.” —Ben Brantley, New York Times
Continuing in her tradition of crafting thought-provoking, socially conscious dramas, Lynn Nottage’s play tells the story of Mlima, an elephant struck down by poachers for his magnificent tusks. Beginning in a game park in Kenya, the play tracks the trajectory of Mlima’s tusks through the ivory trade market while Mlima’s ghost follows close behind—marking all those complicit in his barbaric death.