Lena Coles-Dennis called me up and asked if I wanted to go see the Nigerian musical, "Fela!", now playing at the Ahmanson Theater. So you guessed it - after a quick meeting at in Century City,
I hopped in my whip and headed on downtown! Once I arrived at the Ahmanson Theater, there were so many people excitedly trying to get parked and get into the theater to see "Fela!" Got to the Box Office and picked up my tickets in Will Call, I raced to my seat with not a minute to spare - The lights went down and the show began!
From the start, the lead actor, Sahr Ngaujah, tactfully proved one of my Grand Father's favorite sayings,
"Some of the biggest truths are told through jokes." You owe it to yourself to go see "FELA!" and please keep in mind, unless you've walked a mile in a man's shoes, you should not judge him...
Fela Kuti is standing and performing live! As a matter of fact, the entire cast brings their "A" game!
What is truly unique is how the musical explores in detail, the multi-faceted, symbiotic relationship between Fela Kuti and his Mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, is explored through the Yoruba religion that is practiced by the Kuti Family/Tribe.
Melanie Marshall, who portrays Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, has a mellifluous voice, the essence of a Mother's love, and simply evokes emotions that are sure to move your soul!
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| "FELA!" Cast members, Melanie Marshall, Sahr Ngaujah, Sandra Izsadore, Paulette Ivory |
A native Nigerian, Fela Kuti was born in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria,
on October 15, 1938 - August 2, 1997.
He was his a human rights activist, a musician and a composer who was the catalyst that created Afrobeat sound.
His parents sent Fela Kuti abroad to the UK to study Medicine, and instead, Fela Kuti decided to to learn more about music, and increasing the awareness of the political strife in his native land, Nigeria.
"FELA!" has some of the most outstanding dancers I've ever seen! All of the performers are lively and beautiful and make you want to jump up and dance to the rhythm of the beat of the drums! Yeah, it is truly an excellent rendition of the life of one of Nigeria's Native Sons, a man that danced to the beat of his own drum, that was considered a threat to the Nigerian Government(1970-1997).
Long live the King of Afrobeat - Fela Kuti! "Yeah Yeah!
Visionary, Jim Lewis, multi-talented choreographer, Bill T. Jones, and the entire cast of men and women who perform are excellent! The vocals are amazing!
I'm just going to tell you now, get into your Whip and head to the Ahmanson Theater's Box Office and grab a seat while they are still available. Also upload the music on Facebook, and follow "FELA!" on Twitter -
http://twitter.com/#!/felamusical
I have a feeling that the entire series is going to be sold out because the night we attended, as far as the eye can see, there was not ONE vacant seat in the house!
Love & light, C
(Photos are the sole property of Ryan Miller | www.captureimmaging.com | Ryan@CaptureImaging.com, "FELA!" is Produced by Shawn"Jay-Z" Carter,
Will Smith & Jada Pinkett Smith, Ahmanson Theater. No copy write infringement intended)
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