Jump to content

Fela - the musical!


Bright Moments

Recommended Posts

  • 4 weeks later...

folks i have never steered you wrong. if you are anywhere near NYC you HAVE to see this show. It was INCREDIBLE!

the actor that played FELA was amazingly versatile - playing sax and trumpet in addition to singing, dancing and BEING FELA.

the theater was converted to "The Shrine" - FELA's club in Nigeria. The music - all FELA compositions was masterfully played by Antibalas - a Brooklyn based Afrofunk band.

The cast was spectacular - loads of singing and dancing - even the audience was on its feet dancing - as the life story of FELA KUTI was told.

its a small venue (only about 300 seats) and it was sold out when i saw it last night! the run is only 1 month - so as i said in post #1:

carpe diem!

:cool:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

run ends sunday.

Fela!

Critic's Pick: Reviewed by Ben Brantley

Off Broadway, 37 Arts

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

REVIEW SUMMARY

That the beat goes on, insistently and persuasively, makes “Fela!,” the pulse-racing new show about the Nigerian musician and activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti, nigh impossible to resist. If you set aside your basic nervous and circulatory systems, though, you might observe that by the standards of the well-made musical, “Fela!” leaves a lot to be desired. The structure of the book, written by Jim Lewis and the choreographer and director Bill T. Jones, feels slapdash to the point of confusion. For all the impudence and exuberance of the wall-to-wall music by Mr. Kuti that is used here, a pious haze of hagiography hangs over the show, creating the blinkered view of a great man martyred. Yet the ascendancy of the music in “Fela!,” and the three-dimensional translation of it by Mr. Jones and his vibrant design team, makes such criticism irrelevant for as long as you’re in your seat (or out of it, since the audience is regularly encouraged to stand and undulate). — Ben Brantley

Read the Full Review

SHOWTIMES / VENUE

Opening Date: Sept. 4, 2008

Closing Date: Sept. 21, 2008

Remaining Shows:

Sept. 20, 2008 2:00 p.m.

Sept. 20, 2008 8:00 p.m.

Sept. 21, 2008 2:00 p.m.

Sept. 21, 2008 7:00 p.m.

37 Arts

450 W. 37th St.

New York, NY 10018

Ticket Price: $76.25

Ticket Information: Ticketmaster: 212-307-7171, http://www.ticketmaster.com

» Buy Tickets

Readers' ReviewsReport a Problem Post | Posting Policy | FAQ Average Reader Rating (4.5 stars, 37 votes)

NEWEST READER REVIEW

STUPENDO!!!, September 16, 2008

Reviewer: robirighi

STUPENDO is the italian for WONDERFUL, but you can add the most prizing adjectives to this great musical. We came all the way from Italy to enjoy it and I can tell it was worth the trip. I hope it will make it to larger audiences and to other countries so that those who were not as lucky as us can fully enjoy it. Our nine year old Asia had also the chance to enjoy all the kindness of all dancers and musicians and of Mr. Bill T. Jones himself, who were all very happy to say hello to the only kid in the audience that nite. Just a STUPENDO lifetime souvenir for her and for us too. Asia, Laurence and Roberto from Rimini - Italy

Read All 14 Reader Reviews

NEWS

THEATER| September 19, 2008

Theater Listings

By THE NEW YORK TIMES (NYT)

MOVIES, PERFORMING ARTS/WEEKEND DESK| August 29, 2008

The Listings

By THE NEW YORK TIMES (NYT) 2901 words

MOVIES, PERFORMING ARTS/WEEKEND DESK| August 22, 2008

Theater

By THE NEW YORK TIMES (NYT) 2926 words

CURRENT CAST

Starring Sahr Ngaujah, Abena Koomson, Anne Andre, Corey Baker, Calvin C. Booker, Lauren Deveaux, Nicole Chantal DeWeever, Rujeko Dumbutshena, Aimee Graham, Talu Green, Karma Mayet Johnson, Ismael Kouyate, Maia McKinney, Marcus Phillips, Daniel Soto, Sparlha Swa, Jill M. Vallery and Iris Wilson

Fela!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

will i be the only big "O" member to have seen this show? :blink:

i am shocked, SHOCKED!!!! :o

:rfr

I love Fela with all my heart, but this kind of stuff gives me the heebie-jeebies. I also don't trust "Afrofunk" bands that are mostly Brooklyn honkeys either. What next "Huey Newton!" the musical?

Have you ever seen Antibalas? They're not a band of 'mostly Brooklyn honkeys', they are mutiracial, and Brooklyn has quite a few people who were born in Africa. I've seen Antibalas play and they would be a perfect fit to a musical about Fela as they draw much inspiration from Fela. Perhaps you should try listening to their music.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am a huge fan of Fela. With more lead time, this would have been a perfect opportunity for us to travel to NYC, do the touron* thing, and take in this show. Oh yes, and visit a West African restaurant!

*touron: term from my ski patrol days meaning a clueless person visiting the area for the first time, who appears lost. Etymology is tourist crossed with a moron.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...
  • 5 months later...
  • 5 months later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...