This year’s Eid el Kabir holiday will not be complete without of dose of Wole Soyinka’s classic, Death and the King’s Horseman, which has been on stage from September 1 to 4 at the Terra Kulture Arena, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Directed by Bisi Adigun, the presentation is produced by Arambe Productions, with support from management of Terra Kulture.
Described as Soyinka’s “best illustration of the ritual theatre paradigm” by the foremost theatre scholar, Joel Adedeji (2005), the Sallah holiday run of the play will feature a top-range cast and crew that includes Toyin Oshinaike, Tunji Sotiminrin, Bukky Ogunnote, Tunde Onikoyi, Wale Lampejo and a host of others.
Based on a real life tragic event, the play is set in Oyo during World War II, when Nigeria was still a British colony. The king has died and as his horseman commences the traditional ritual that will ensure the smooth transition of the dead king to the world beyond, the British colonial officer intervenes. In consequence, the harmonious co-existence between the living, the dead and the unborn is under severe threat.
Will the turn of events cause a disruption of a cosmic order of the universe? Will justice be served?
The play had earlier been staged to wide acclaim in July at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) to mark the 83rd birthday celebration of Soyinka, the 1986 Nobel Laureate for Literature.
Tickets are already selling and audiences will be entranced by the songs, music, chants, humour and the ‘totality’ of Soyinka’s dramaturgy, as well as his linguistic dexterity, said the producers.
Show times are 7pm on Friday, September 1, and 3pm to 7pm for the remaining days.
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