FELA! Review

The live theatrical production I chose to watch and review for this assignment was the Off Broadway production of FELA! The show is about the life of musician, and activist Fela Kuti. The show is presented by Shawn “jay-z” Carter and Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith.

The acting was very good. The actor Sahr Ngaujah who played Fela Kuti did an excellent job of portraying the legend. He was sincere in his words music and emotion. I could see the face of Sahr and see that he was really into his role. I had to constantly remind myself that I was
not watching Kuti himself but an actor portraying him.

The writing was brilliant. The dialogue that came before the music gave a proper introduction to the Fela song that would play next. Instead of a theater, the main character acted as if we were at one of his concerts. So he spoke to us not as theater patrons but as fans of his. Amazing I actually felt like I was at a concert. We were told to stand up from time to time and sing along and they displayed the words. Interesting concept and I enjoyed it a lot.

The characters and actor were indeed connected to become one. Like I said earlier I felt as if I was watching a concert and not a play so from time to time I actually forgot I was watching a play. All the characters from the main one to the dancers did a good job of executing their roles.

The sound was a major part of the production as it included the actual music from Fela himself. I enjoyed the afro beat that one would hear in Nigeria around the 1970s. I felt as if I was listening to his album itself. Also included in the production was the great music of the late great James Brown. A+ performance.

The costumes took me back to the time of the 1970s where people were rebelling against government and were dress as “hippies”. The costumes did include some tribal African attire for the dancers which I feel gave the dancers soul. I could not see from my seat the details of the costumes or makeup but from my position they looked great.

The theater experience was satisfactory as we did not have great seats but I did enjoy the aura of the place. The bar had drinks named after characters from the performance which I found to be cool. I believe the show aimed to be different from other shows and I think they succeeded
in that aspect, from what I have seen previously. They maintained their political view, added some theatrical effects, and displayed nice indoor lighting and sounds that made it a complete performance.

Overall, I had a great theater experience and would recommend this show for anyone who is interested in seeing something, different, entertaining, and meaningful. The production attracts people from all ages and races from what I have seen at the theater so I genuinely think it is for everyone who enjoys theater