Joke Silva's Lufodo Productions introduced theater lovers to the eye of 'The King Should Dance Bare', Fred Agbeyegbe's masterpiece, which speaks on present occasions within the nation together with management and the strain between custom and social change.
Some 30 years after taking part in Queen Odosun in Pa Fred Agbeyegbe's well-known play, 'The King Should Dance Bare', actress Joke Silva masterfully produced the play throughout Yuletide and within the first week of the New 12 months.
The play, which was carried out on December 23, 24, 29 and 30 and January 5 and 6, culminated on Sunday, January 7 on the historic Glover Memorial Corridor, Lagos Island, the place eminences took within the spectacle. Amongst them had been ex-Lagos Governor and Minister of Labor Babatunde Fashola and his spouse Abimbola; ex-governor Kayode Fayemi and his spouse Bisi; Toke Benson, Lagos State Commissioner for Tradition, Arts and Tourism, who changed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the 88-year-old playwright, and Pa Ayo Opadokun.
The evergreen play with an important forged together with Edmond Enaibe (Atseburukuajagbo), Gloria Younger (Queen Odosun), Toyin Oshinaike (Narrator), Albert Akaeze (Ogodobiri), Seyi Fasuyi (Afinotan), Efe Mayford-Orhorha (Ogbemi), Omololu Sodiya (Ololo), Mike Okorie (Ofioto) and Sensible Adejumo (Jolomi) pulsed with music, dance and drama.
The thoroughbred artists had been assured of their supply. They introduced power to the manufacturing, a lot to the delight of the viewers, together with Pa Agbeyegbe, who beamed with a smile on the stunning presentation of his piece, which, amongst different issues, speaks about duty, the present curse of the nation.
Because the piece “woven round a male-female conundrum” reveals, there may be all the time a worth to pay for deception. Along with deception and management incompetence, 'The King Should Dance Bare' additionally highlights the difficult relationship between the gods and society, reflecting on tradition, custom, management and the way they intersect.
Princess Omajuwa is topped king after the disappearance of her half-brother, Prince Omagbemi. Nonetheless, it’s no strange disappearance as Queen Odosun, Omajuwa's mom, had beforehand plotted to kill Omagbemi. At beginning, and after consulting with the gods about what the longer term holds for Omajuwa and her twin brother Afinotan, the oracle reveals that the feminine baby is destined to succeed her father as king. That is seen as a taboo, which mustn’t occur.
Queen Odosun believes she fooled the gods when she changed the feminine baby with the male simply earlier than the sacrifice. She deceives the individuals of Ogbodume by presenting Omajuwa because the male successor to the throne, however there are penalties.
Famine, drought and illness ravaged the land, with the king's lack of ability to breed being cited because the trigger. The deception is ultimately uncovered, and the one answer to the dominion's issues, in line with the oracle, is for the king to bounce bare within the presence of the leaders. Does she do it?
Actress Joke Silva addressed the viewers earlier than serving up the lavish spectacle and after Oyin Sax, whose father, the late Jide Ogungbade, was the first-ever director of the play, entertained with people songs.
She expressed her gratitude for his or her presence and emphasised the historic nature of the play in a historic location that her firm, Lufodo Productions, manages in partnership with Ciuci Consulting.
“I'm honored to have everybody right here at the moment. It’s a historic day, a historic night time as a result of you’ve got arrived at a spot of historical past: the Glover Memorial, in-built 1887 and rebuilt in 1962. We now have taken over a cultural and heritage enterprise; Glover Memorial Corridor is situated within the coronary heart of Lagos Island, a spot of entrepreneurship and heritage. Herbert Macaulay, Alimotu Pelewura, Nnamdi Azikwe and Chief Obafemi Awolowo graced this stage. That is the place all of them had the beginnings of eloquence. The late Hubert Ogunde and the Duro Ladipos all began right here, so we really feel honored to handle this place.
“What you’ll see is a play that celebrates tradition. This play has a protracted historical past. The younger man who performed the saxophone is the son of the very first director of 'The King Should Dance Bare'. In 1992/93, Olu Jacobs, Aunt Taiwo Ajayi Lycett, Richard Mofe-Damijo and loads of us starred in 'The King Should Dance Bare.'
That well-known 1992/1993 manufacturing of the Nationwide Troupe of Nigeria was directed by the late uncle Bayo Oduneye.
The actress added that the play was additionally carried out on the 2012 London Olympics, with a packed home for its total run. They selected it this time to honor the playwright, a lawyer and poet.
“It's optimistic, and proper, as we have fun Uncle Fred on the age of 88, as a result of for anybody who has been in 'The King Should Dance Bare,' your profession is taking off. It's not the best play to do; There are loads of technical issues, however the director has accomplished an excellent job, and it’s as much as you to resolve.”
The curtains fell fortunately as a birthday cake was minimize for Pa Agbeyegbe, writer of different performs together with 'Budiso', 'Woe Unto Loss of life' and 'The Final Omen'. Dad Agbeyegbe, a lawyer, began writing performs on the age of 14. From 1983 to 1986, he based the historic AJOFEST, an arts and drama competition, working carefully with the late director Jide Ogungbade.
