ANIGHTFORNOBLECAUSE
The chorus from the singers on stage for the theme song was, “Could We Start Again, Please?’’. For a moment, this reporter, who missed the opening scene in the first Act of the musical, Jesus Christ Super Star, was tempted to rise from the auditorium to sing in response, “Oh yes, start again”. But for the fact that the spotlight could be redirected, the thought was quickly dismissed.
The production seemed to be well-timed, having being prepared for over a period of three months with Kanayo Omo as the director. For the music director, Benneth Ogbeiwi, the task had been much longer. He had to work with a cast where most of the members are green urns to musical theatre or even stage performances in general. He also had to shed his expectations because he had played the role of Jesus in the same musical in 2006. Judging from his emotions at the end of the play, he must have been very much impressed by the performance. Experience has shown that when a play is a flop, directors disappear at curtain calls, leaving the cast and crew to bow out humbly. If the compere insists, they would simply wave from the audience, without drawing much attention.
But when a performance is superb, the production team quickly comes to the stage, proud of the work of their hands. You can decide which category that the Play House Initiative’s 2015 production of Jesus Christ Super Star belongs.
Written as a rock opera with music composition by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, the 1970 musical was one of the select performances for the 15th edition of the Music Society of Nigeria (MUSON) festival. It became a music theatre in 1971 when it was staged on Broadway. Historically, it has recorded controversies. The Broadway show and subsequent productions were condemned by some religious groups for different reasons. Some Christians thought that the character of Judas was too sympathetic and his criticisms of Jesus were offensive. In addition, some Jews claimed that it reinforced the belief that the Jews are responsible for Jesus’ death by showing most of the villains as Jewish that is, Caiaphas and the other priests, and showing the crowd in Jerusalem calling for the crucifixion. The musical was subse- quently banned in South Africa for being “irreligious”. A film adaptation of “Jesus Christ Superstar” was released in 1973 and was the eighth highest-grossing film of that year. Directed by Norman Jewison, the film was shot in Israel and other Middle Eastern locations.
The musical is sung-through, with no spoken dialogue. For the most parts, the story is based on the Gospels’ accounts of the last week of Jesus’s life, beginning with the preparation for the arrival of Jesus and his disciples in Jerusalem and ending with the crucifixion. It accentuates the political and interpersonal struggles between Judas Iscariot and Jesus which are marked deviation from the actual Bible narratives. Yes, the original script focuses on the character of Judas but in its interpretation last weekend at MUSON, it was clear that there was something for everyone. Every individual could see conscience at play and the political theme lifted the musical from the pedestal of being just a play about Jesus, but as a production that has socio-political relevance in Nigeria. Needless to add, the musical also exposed religious hypocrisy which Jesus rejected in his life ministry.
For a show that depended heavily on music, the sound quality was a key element. First, the volume must be right and the vocal quality is non-negotiable. It turned out that one could not expect anything less from Kanayo Omo, who is also the Executive Director of Blackwing Productions, a California- and UK-based Film and Media Production Company. Having developed his art alongside world professionals such as Debbie Allen and Stephen Spielberg, Jesus Christ Super Star was not a hard bone for him to crack. Unlike many recent theatrical productions, efforts had been put in place to ensure that all the singers, from the lead to the back-up, had good microphone to work with. The result was that when the audience raised their hands, it was done in applause and not to cover their ears against unwanted sounds.
No doubt, the musical director, Ogbeiwi is a master of the game. Inside the Agip Hall, MUSON Centre, Onikan, the multiinstrumental band, Adrenaline with music credits from the reality show, Project Fame, set the tempo for the night that theatre goers had been waiting for. Watching the cast at the last show of the four performances last weekend, there was no tell-tale of exhaustion as the energy rose through the musical’s last scenes. Okoro Ralph Chikeme who played the role of Jesus Christ is indeed a super star what with the high vocal range and goose-pimples inspiring pitch. It came as no surprise to those who know Okoro as the winner of the 1st edition of the music reality show, “Number One Singer”.
If there was going to be any controversy in Nigeria’s production of Jesus Christ Super Star, it would likely come from the dance part where several dancers in their freestyles swayed in Shoki, Shakiti Bobo and Azonto. But the whole scenario had been choreographed carefully by Abel Utuedor who is the choreographer of the Ogun State Dance Company. With experience that spans 20 years, Utuedor has the sound knowledge of the stage anatomy, dancers’ and audience’s temperament and brought these to bear on the musical. He was one of the 10 African dancers selected to feature in the French Cultural centre project, “When the Gods go crying’’, touring Europe for four years. While a good number of the cast might have previous knowledge of the theatre, it is a different tune for the lead singer, Deola Adebiyi, who had the audience transfixed with her effortless interpretation of the role of Mary Magdalene. The graduate of Microbiology from University of Lagos had been singing professionally since 2003.
One of the first things that would grip any one was the set design for the play. Just when we thought that screen projectors have completely taken over the traditional styles of theatre productions, the set design for Jesus Christ Super Star evoked memories of the actual locale of the story with those white pillars of Roman heritage shining on the stage. The electronic graphics that formed the backdrop of the scenes revealed other subject matters in the musical. For instance, the graphics lashed out at the widespread commercialism in Christendom today. The use of costumes by the characters also situated the musical in the African context. Some of the characters were sporting Ankara-inspired garments.
The Executive Director for the production, “Jesus Christ Super Star’’, Uche Nwokedi SAN, is one of the leading oil and gas lawyers in Nigeria who is resolute about changing the existing and unsatisfactory template for theatre productions in Nigeria. His contributions to the theatre in Nigeria have been recognised by the National Theatre and the National Association of the Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners. His production credits include “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’’ (2004), “Jesus Christ Superstar” (2006), “The Vision” (2008) as well as Kakadu the Musical (2013-2014) which is set to return this December.
The playwright for the award-winning, Kakadu the musical, stated that the play was selected because of its unique and timeless beauty.
“We have used it as a creative workshop for musical theatre, so that the relatively unknown but extremely talented youth can shine. Our philosophy in the Playhouse is to give back as much as we can. Most of the cast and crew in this production are doing this for the first time. In Nigeria today, when we talk about our ‘youth’, we think of some of the negative things that plague our society such as violence and kidnapping. Well, these groups, of young persons will only capture and kidnap your imagination. Some of the proceeds of our gate takings will be used to support a chosen charity and this time, it will be Pacelli School for the Blind,’’ he declared.
The show was co-produced by the Executive Director, Playhouse Initiative, Winifred Nwokedi who in 2011 established the Playhouse Music and Drama Centre at the Victoria Garden City Recreation Club. The club provides training in musical instruments such as piano, guitar, drums, violin and saxophone.
Incidentally, the production came just in the wake of the United Nations’ White Cane Day for the visually-impaired all over the world. Reportedly, there had been apathy towards supporting these individuals who form a large part of our population in Nigeria. It is also cheering to know that latest advancements in technology has made it easy for the visually impaired to perform a lot of functions. The White Cane is just one out of many inventions designed to make a visually impaired independent, yet, it is not affordable in Nigeria because of heavy import duties and the fact that blindness is synonymous with poverty. For the non-profit organisation like Play House Initiative to take the lead in donating materially to a school for the blind sends a strong message to relevant authorities and others to take responsibility in taking care of the vulnerable citizens.