Promoters of popular Broadway musical, FELA!, have said that a good number of corporate organisations have extended support for the performance of the musical coming up in Lagos in April.
So successful has FELA! been that the overseeing Broadway League is quoted to have declared that the travelling shows sold approximately $1.037 billion worth of tickets in 2010, compared to the 41.004 billion the League recorded in 2009. They are also hopeful that it will be successful in Nigeria being the home of the late legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, whose life the production celebrates.
A statement from the promoters, Broken Shackles Ltd., indicates that apart from Lagos State, brands such as Hi-TV, Chicken Republic, Skye Bank, GDN and Sterling Bank have thrown their weight behind the coming of the musical produced by Shawn ‘JayZ’ Carter and Will Smith.
Directed by Bill T. Jones, FELA!, set to be performed at the Eko Hotels and Suites on April 20 and 25, has been described as “more than a musical and an ecstatic phenomenon”.
Meanwhile, Fela’s afro beat hero son, Femi, has defended the tone of the musical play, in terms of how it depicts the myth of the late superstar. Answering questions in a television interview, Femi explains that those who have argued that the story is told from the perspective of the American audience should not forget that it was originally conceived with such a foreign audience in view. According to him, the story of a man who truly married over 20 wives the same day will definitely arouse the curiosity of a distant audience such as the American.
Femi is also happy that ‘FELA’ is not just coming for public watch in Nigeria, but that it has also been symbolically presented at Afrika Shrine.
No comments:
Post a Comment