Death and the King’s Horseman — a review

This was always going to be tricky. Fostering Wole Soyinka’s classic but stiff play on an audience nurtured by the sweet flowing and highly flexible Saro and other such musicals.

The Terra audience is a new breed of neo elitist, millenial congregation who deliberately move away from the cacophony of pop culture and its shallow tendencies towards a slower but more refined affinity that is theatre.

But throwing the hard meat that is a Soyinka play, especially one as difficult as this, was risky and this made me curious.

So when the hard-working general manager at Terra, my brother Joseph, called, I raced down from Ikorodu to go see the play.

The set was beautiful. I loved the pillars and the art on them. The boulders painted white that adjoined the electronic screen was a mark of genius and then the cast emerged.

Bolanle’s strength is in the costumes and her uses. As expected, they were stupendously rich. The colours, the vibrancy, and the beauty of the cast made it all very spectacular to the audience.

The lead actor tried but was average. He couldn’t raise his game. The lines came out like a recital and this reduced his motion on stage. But his sidekick, the bearded one, was a wonder.

His fluidity, his delivery, his beard made for such milky performance. I loved him and looked forward to his time in the spotlight

His powerful renditions of what I hoped were the oriki was music to my tortured soul. He blew the lead away.

The Iya Oloja was a marvel to watch. Her voice quality, her blocking, her pacing all rose the production to greater heights

Between the Iya Oloja and the bearded guy, they both gave the lead character very strong crutches to lean on as he struggled with some of the deepest and most difficult lines in his career.

Bolanle is bold and that is why I love her. She courageously took this work and staked a claim to a come-of-age performance.

Her maturity as a theatre director showed. Her essence and quality were on show last night as she poked a finger at doubters who continually see her as an outsider but who also would continue to bow to her genius, albeit reluctantly.

I bow to her genius very eagerly. As I watch, I feel her imprint not on that stage alone but on the very strong message she keeps sending out to the world on her mission, and make no mistake about it, Bolanle has come not only to stay but to lead.

Well done my sister, that was a well spent evening.

Death and the King’s Horseman is still running throughout this weekend at Terra Kulture.

Duke recommends it. Go see it.

Rating – excellent

*Duke of Shomolu*