By Olushola Ojikutu
It is three days to the first performance of Oluronbi, and it is a beehive of activities at Choral House, Yaba, where rehearsals for the play are in full swing. The door opens at 10.30 to admit the journalists who have been invited for a press briefing, and we are immediately engulfed in the heat emanating from the hall. The four ceiling fans oscillating above do little to dispel the energy from the gyrating bodies, the percussion and the vocal output.
The musical play, Oluronbi is making its third annual appearance on the Nigerian theatre scene. Hailed as the first ever Nigerian Broadway-style musical, Oluronbi is described as an “audio visual spectacle on par with such international successes as ‘The Lion King.’ The play, which in the last production had cast strength of about 40, will this time round boast a 70-member cast - probably the largest ever deployed for a Nigerian stage play.
Producer of the play, Ikhane Akhigbe, says, “Oluronbi derives from a need to tell a story that reflects and celebrates our culture, language and rhythm. Like our own ‘Umoja’” The beauty of the play, he continues, is its constant renewal, as some of the singers and actors used last year have been changed. According to Akhigbe, the changes in the play’s execution and cast are due to his belief that “The essence of theatre is keeping it fresh. We are building a brand and we are trying not to have it hinged on any particular artists,” he said, also disclosing that an edition of the play was staged with an all children cast at Grange Schools, Lagos, earlier in the year.
A Nigerian affair
Akhigbe, an Edo State indigene, insists that, Oluronbi is not just a Yoruba Folk tale, “Yoruba culture has crossed over to a lot of places in Nigeria. Oluronbi in our production is a Benin princess settled in Yoruba Land. The six geo-political zones of the country are represented in the play. We are one culture, the same original, with slightly varying tones. Oluronbi is Yoruba in inspiration but Nigerian in production.”
The recorded success of Oluronbi, which has been sold out in its last two outings, Akhigbe says, is due to “its appeal to both Nigeria’s elite and the ordinary man. We all love our culture and we want to see more of it being celebrated.” He also expressed plans for the play to go on tour of the South-western states and then on a national tour.
Actress Iretiola Doyle gave an insight into the production effort, saying, “It’s an ambitious project and I am part of it because I pride myself on pushing the envelope. This is the third time I am appearing in it, and I will continue to say: yes. It competes with, or even surpasses, some international plays in terms of content. It brings all the dramatic elements to bear in a wonderful mix.”
The play, in which she plays Iroko (a part human and part spirit being) is about Oluronbi, who desperate for a child, beseeches the female tree-spirit for one. In her desperation, she makes a promise, which in Doyle’s words, ‘comes back to slap her in the face’. Oluronbi, she continues, “is about the choices we make and the consequences that lie therein.”
Disclosing that there will be no use of recordings, as all the musical aspects will be performed live, Akhigbe nonetheless does not under emphasise the challenges of executing such a large production. He explains that aside from logistics, marketing and sponsorship, the greatest challenge he has faced is coming from a non-creative arts background. “I am just getting used to the temperament and structure of the industry. But this is a labour of love; I love what I am doing,” he concludes.
Sponsorship
Lanre Onipede, artist manager for AbOoiginal Productions, says that the play stems from the company’s passion to bring back musical Broadway to Nigeria, but how successful have similar endeavours been in a society that puts theatre on a back seat in its entertainment industry? While affirming that in Nigeria, theatre is “an orphan child of the arts. It is seen as elitist and we don’t get as much or as quick returns on investments, Doyle maintains that stage entertainment is on the path of growth. “I see the young ones among the cast; they are bubbling with the love for theatre, and I know there’s a future for it.”
Coinciding with the nation’s independence anniversary, this year’s edition has been taken on board as part of Lagos State’s Cultural project. According to Onipede, “The show in its entirety is sponsored and endorsed by the Lagos state government. Lagos state is helping with the publicity, it gave us the go-ahead to print the state logo on our adverts; and as we speak, some BRT buses are carrying awareness for Oluronbi.”
With the efforts of its organisers, cast and crew; as well as the governmental backing it has acquired, this year’s production is undoubtedly a performance to look forward to. And as the wheels of the production are been greased to finesse, Akhigbe and his team definitely have their work cut out. Doyle affirms this jocularly: “It’s a huge undertaking, and with some of the challenges that (the producer) has had to face, it’s amazing he’s still standing.”
Oluronbi is being staged on several dates at the MUSON Centre and the National Theatre in Lagos, until October 2.
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