I never got to see Fela perform live, but I feel his energy, his passion, his intelligent sarcasm and his stubbornness as his saxophone and voice belt out from my ipod nano. The first time I heard of Fela the musical, it was on the Broadway in the States. The reviews it got made me keen to see the British production at the National Theatre, as well as the fact that it was about Fela.
Yes the musical was interesting, yes I learnt many things about Fela that hitherto I had not been privy to. But there was no energy and connection with the audience! Yes Sahr Ngaujah as Fela did try to look and play the saxophone like Fela, but one could not help thinking that he could do more. Again, anyone who played Fela in any capacity must be open to criticism, especially as the audience comprised of people who were around to see Fela in a live show himself.
However, as a Nigerian it was disappointing to go to a musical about a Nigerian and listen to the main leads unable to replicate the Nigerian accent. With all the actors and actresses in Nigeria’s Nollywood, was it really that difficult to cast Nigerians in the production?
As Fela The Musical is staged in Nigeria for the first time from April 20 – 25, let us hope that the cast bring a more Nigerian flair to this production. At the very least, get the pronunciation of Fela’s mother’s name Funmilayo right.
Adun