We had an unbelievably glorious and heavenly experience a few weeks ago. It was our first experience attending a musical. And if the 10 minutes experience (snippet) we had, is a pointer to the full experience, then we believe all those who would attend at the end of the different shows slated for the whole of May 2013, would and must give standing ovations.
Kakadu Club was the watering hole of the happening crowds of the late 60's entering into the early 70's. It was the convergence point for the artists, the 'intellectuals', fun-seekers of that time, when Lagos was just evolving. It was the epicenter of the social happening of that time. It was significant then, in that it mirrored the then emerging society, Nigeria had gotten independence not too long then from her colonial masters and many were looking forward to the emergence of a great black nation, full of hope and unbelievable promises. Hope for what was going to emerge was high, the then Lagos, though still emerging was very safe and great fun, everyone went about their chores and businesses with glorious determination. Then like a bolt out of the blue, the coup happened and it was like a canker-worm had been introduced and it was like the progress expected met a brick-wall of resistance, before anyone knew what was happening the civil war too happened and from then on........Strife, discord, distrust etc came on board and marred our hope and existence.
What Kakadu...the musical aims to do with this unbelievably exhilarating and glorious drama, dance and musical, is to help transport us back to the days of yore, looking back at how it used to be, taking us through the fun, the raw energy of the music of those days-the twist, the high life, the rock 'n'roll etc, when hope for and about the future was high on every one's mind, it was like there were things to look forward to and the gradual progression and decay bringing us to now. It aims to get all of us thinking about the project called Nigeria and our involvement. It tries to highlight all the happenstances of the days of yore.....Especially the military incursion of the 60's and it effect thereafter on the polity. From a state of affairs, where things were nice, beautiful and everyone was each others brother's keeper...to state of suspicions, strife , etc. From then on to how we are now.
The 10 minutes rehearsal or should we call it snippet of the main production that we saw, was so great that we were transfixed, the casts and the crew were nothing short of brilliant. What would one have expected of the casts & crew that had the likes of consummate actors Norbert Young & Tina Mba, Benneth Ogbewui- his voice is out of the world, Lala Akindoju, Kanayo Omoh-The Director of the play etc. The musical was written by a fantastic human-being in the person of Mr. Uche Nwokedi, SAN, who is also the Executive producer, his gorgeous wife Winifred Nwokedi, is one of the directors at Playhouse Initiative, who are the producers of the musical.
The major reason for the musical and at this time, is because, it's the production company own way of helping to make our experience or memory matter, and that's because the past is always of value to the present and the future. It's also an opportunity for an audience that loves entertainment, to love, to share and to embrace part of their experience, especially their history, so as to help look at the future in the proper perspective. An experience that would help allow people to ask the right questions and at the right time.
Looking forward
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