Audio adaptation of FELA! Broadway show to premiere in May

This is according to 11-time Tony Award nominee Stephen Hendel, the show’s original lead producer. The production will feature a new interpretation of the original FELA! script written by Bill T Jones and Jim Lewis, framing the ongoing #EndSars movement in the context of Fela Kuti’s legacy.

“The spark for this ambitious production came when a group of four friends, Eniola Mafe, Omolola Adele-Oso, Chinedu Enekwe and Audu Maikori, were inspired to host a table read of FELA! on Clubhouse to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the close of the show’s Broadway run,” a statement reads. “They approached Maduka to direct, who pitched reimagining it, and the audio play adaptation was born.”

The production of Fela Ten Twenty is by Stephen Hendel, Funa Maduka and Ọlabimpe Ọlaniyan. Kingsley Okorie and Benjamin James of The Cavemen band will oversee the music for the production, which will be recorded in Lagos, Nigeria. Marcellus Wesley is both technical director and sound designer, while Ellen Marte will serve as VFX director and graphic designer, with Amanda Ezechi as the marketing director.

A cast of actors from Nigeria, the UK and the US, including Sir Marcell, Jumoké Fashola, NC Grey and Nneamaka Nwadei, have been confirmed for the project. The rest are Malikat Rufai Uche Ogodi, Comfort Dangana, Adeola Adebari, Muhammed Agboluaje, LaToya Ransom and Aliu Ajala.

Consultants for the production are Sahr Ngaujah, Robert Kaplowitz and Abena Koomson-Davis, all of whom worked on the FELA! Broadway show.

“Fela’s music, the foundation for Afrobeat, demanded global engagement with African political thought,” Maduka said. “In the aftermath of the October 2020 End Sars protests against police brutality, his message still achingly resounds. This production is a love letter to those fighting for a better Nigeria.”

Hendel said: “Fela belongs to Nigeria, Africa and the world. It is a thrill to have the show reimagined by a team of young, creative Nigerians. I’m proud to support these artists who have come together to honour Fela Kuti’s legacy with such immense commitment and dedication.”

Proceeds from the show will support GEANCO, whose David Oyelowo Leadership Scholarship provides full tuition, health care, and social and psychological support to young female survivors of terrorism and gender inequality.

Meanwhile, Fela Kuti is a nominee for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class of 2021. He was shortlisted alongside 15 other accomplished artists including Jay-Z, Carole King, Tina Turner, Mary J Blige, Kate Bush, Devo, Foo Fighters, The Go-Go’s, Iron Maiden, Chaka Khan, LL Cool J, New York Dolls, Rage Against the Machine, Todd Rundgren and Dionne Warwick.

More information about Fela Ten Twenty is available here. Follow the show on Clubhouse.