LOTS OF
THEATRE TO CHOOSE FROM
BY
Margaretta wa Gacheru (posted 7 Febuary 2018)
While the
Phoenix Theatre isn’t likely to ‘rise from the ashes’ very soon (as the bird
did in the Greek myth), Kenyan actors (some of whom were Phoenix regulars) haven’t
been deterred from rising in their own right.
This weekend, starting
tonight, ex-Phoenix cast members Justin Mirichii and Joyce Musoke are
co-starring in ‘My Better Halves’ at Alliance Francaise. It’s the premier
performance for Sanifu Productions, a quirky comedy touching on sensitive
issues, like mental health and marital strife, written by Mirichii himself.
Directed by
Martin Kigondu (who’s normally seen directing his own scripts with Prevail Arts
Productions), Mirichii plays a psychiatrist treating his own split personality and
not handling it too well.
Meanwhile,
over at PAWA254, Walter Sitati is back on stage this weekend with Hearts of Art
performing in ‘All I ever wanted.’
Sitati also
wrote this ‘political and social satire’ which was previously staged back in
2016. But according to the playwright, the script has been serious ‘tweaked’
and revised to stay attuned to these times.
The show has
a substantial cast. It’s still a courtroom drama with Peter Kawa as the Judge,
Sitati and Ellsey O. Adhiambo as Counsels and a slew of witnesses.
Sitati’s
scripts are always entertaining and deeply engaging. He’s one of Nairobi’s best
although he was silent in 2017.
Meanwhile,
set texts are having a hearing right now at the Sarakasi Dome Theatre. From
this past Wednesday through 17 February, students will have a chance to see
Jicho Four’s interpretation of ‘Kigogo’ by Pauline Kea and ‘The River and the
Source’ by Margaret Ogola. The following month Jicho Four will also stage Ken
Walibora’s ‘Kidagaa Kimemwozea and Bertolt Brecht’s Caucasian Chalk Circle.
A few weeks
later, Nairobi Performing Arts Studio will also stage ‘Kigogo’ and ‘Caucasian
Chalk Circle’ but at Kenya National Theatre. There’s bound to be a big
difference between the two different interpretations, but it will be for the
public to come and judge.
NPAS will
also be staging the award-winning South African musical ‘Sarafina’ in April.
What’s ironic is that the following month, Spellcast Media will also perform ‘Sarafina’
at the Braeburn Theatre. Spellcast actually put on ‘Sarafina’ first in 2015 as
the company’s premier production.
“That is why
we want to bring the musical back again,” says Andrew Tumbo, the show’s musical
director. “We were brand new back then. Now we’re a more seasoned company,” he
adds.
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