By Chike Ofili

The Lagos version of Fela! On Broadway is a great example of big budget production that showed no sign of any cash crunch.

Sierra Leonean born actor Sahr Ngaujah plays Fela

It was such a happy moment of seeing how the arts get treated in climes where they are appreciated; or perhaps the standard that must be upheld wherever transplanted. It gave such a huge feeling to see what is so very often cheapened here accorded such a huge respect; but you know, only because it came from outside. But it gave a most inspiring possibility of what can be , and also of how it can be when accorded its dues.

The sheer effective noise built around the performance on all major money consuming media of television, radio, outdoor: mobile BRT buses, billboard and the press, even far outclasses what major brands commit to their brand launches.

For over one and half months on end, the airwave was awash with advertisement of the show in the news media whose reaches far exceeded its Lagos venue. All through ones stay in Abuja, the radio enforcement of the advertisements at almost every interval long before the show commenced is so compelling.

Importance of the show

But not so much in the creative rendition of the message as in its frequency of airing which all help to give importance to the show. And this vanity the Lagos islanders along with a sprinkling of their Mainlanders sucked into as an opportunity to attend a show that re-enforces their self importance as the ticket ranged from the least of N5,000 to I think a million naira.

A scene from Fela! On Broadway Lagos show

The presence of this group of theatre or the arts attendees is testimony to a market that appeals either to a market that panders to the foreign, or the one that responds to quality appeal. Though it must be said for the biographical musical dance drama that it had acquired its own reputation over time among the ever travelling Nigerian high class elites and its dispensers of the information who missed it, or wannabes who had loved to be thought to be aware of it even where they never saw it.

The Expo Centre of the Eko Hotels and Suites the venue of this production of epic proportion, was itself a transmogrified venue from how one used to know it, though not necessary because of the show. It had undergone such epic change that had made it the N8million venue, the costliest in Lagos, and naturally, in Nigeria in matters of entertainment.

Though never built to a theatrical design as it is a huge hall within a hotel complex, it elegantly shouldered the historical burden of playing host to an epic show. And this it did to a huge panorama of sophisticated variety of elite audience of 2011 Easter Sunday.

Two days earlier, one learnt, the major sponsors of it, Mr.Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the former governor of Lagos state and his successor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, were in attendance with Tinubu coming late as usual and holding up the show with his characteristic self-importance delays.

That was on the Thursday opening . The Saturday that followed one learnt from Mr. Femi Esho, the great musical custodian of Highlife music and the compiler of The Complete Works of Fela’s Afro beat music was a different kettle of fish in heavy Youth presence.

Another scene from Fela! On Broadway Lagos show

Mr. Esho had seized upon the occasion to sell his re-mastered and well-packaged collections of Fela’s music. He had being somewhat dazed by the vast variety of the attendees. Yet my friends and I struggled to get the ticket. James Eze gave up trying, while Akin Adeoya chanced upon getting a few to which I benefitted from. The seats were sold-out! And it was evidently so.

On my part, I was intrigued by the necessary Fela effect I saw happening to this unusual Easter Sunday audience, I thought this three hour long musical dance drama was capable of having as is listening or encountering Fela. It brought to mind Anouk Batard’s poser to me if the Fela consciousness ever permeated our Nollywood movie industry which this French lady researcher was inquiring into.

One thought for once, let this Easter Sunday encounter happen with its concomitant consequence for an altered consciousness. Though not quantifiable, one left the show knowing that some salvaging must have taken place.

Having earlier written a review about the show when it was screened at the Afrikan Shrine in Ikeja, Lagos before it was stage-performed life on Victoria Island two months before, one felt somewhat listened to by the director of Fela!

The complaint of supplanting the endearing and enduring influence of Fela’s mother, the sure-footed foundation of the latter influences on Fela; male or female, African or foreign, may not have been sufficiently attended to in their extreme desire to over-impose the African American influence of Sandra, Fela’s woman and ideological influencer in black ideology. The painting of Funmilayo Kuti, Fela’s mother facing the audience frontally in the most engaging set one had ever seen as an addition to the original design, is welcoming even if not altogether satisfying. Thus, some local content that should pay necessary homage to the land and people that gave Fela birth, was smuggled in.

One would have expected that in the spirit of giving local relevance to the show by adaptation, that the local infusions will be seen more in the dances that were more the dominant art form applied in telling the story entertainingly. But alas, the dancers learnt no new steps! They neither asked for help, nor got ready assistance.

The narrative arc of the story remains incoherent; remains staccato in rendition without a discernible curve. This remains a major minus in the telling. Though the landmarks of Fela’s life were well-chosen, they were not given a coherent telling. The set though great, is not near the Broadway stage in size even if matched in majesty. And this is not for want of space. One suspects it limited the spatial expression of the performers. The dances were well enjoyed from feedbacks got, many did not approve of the Fela they saw; and no amount of persuading changed the reasoning that this is a recreated Fela and not necessary a duplicated one.

In all, the huge presence of attendees to this stage-show that was a bit too late in starting that ended midnight and so robbed some in the audience of the patience to sit through it, and those who sat through it for its most audience engaging feat in dances and titillating reminiscences of Fela’s ever green musical range got the audience, black or white, singing or nodding in response and in appreciation.