Bill T. Jones has created a wonderfuly evocative and thoroughly enjoyable musical out of the life and times of Fela Anikulapo Kuti. I had often wondered how accesible Fela’s message was to non-NPE (Nigerian Pigeon English) speakers. In Fela! these concerns were put to rest quickly. Not only was the NPE simplified to aid comprehension, supertitles were projected on the set as a further aid. Suprisingly, this did not result in my feared ‘watered-down’ effect. Like a modern animated film that can simultaneously appeal to children and their children alike, this show can appeal simultaneously to the Fela neophyte and devotee. A part of the first act that had Fela complaining about a the Sierra Leonian James Brown imitator, Geraldo Pino who used to tour Nigeria extensively in the 60s and 70s brought back a flood of childhood memories.
Antibalas, the Brooklyn-based afrobeat band again showed their afrobeat wizardry in performing the music for this show. They have all the Fela standards down cold plus they dug deep into their repertoire for an exceptionally beautifully rendered high-lifey duet between Sandra Isidore (played by Sparlha Swa) and Fela. Another standout musical performance amongst several, was “Trouble Sleep” this time as a duet with his mother, Abeena Koomson, showing off her operatic vocal range. This show has many high points, plus a thing or two one might quibble about.