Saturday, July 03, 2010
Hela of a Fela...
Last night JP & I saw 'Fela', an unforgettable musical and theatrical experience! We sat front and center, and were transported to another time and place, in a sensory, sonic blast of passion and energy...It thoroughly deserved its 3 Tony Awards for best choreography, costume design, and sound design..The dangerous side of the slum-a-troplis that is Lagos, Nigeria, in 1978... It's a voyage you should take, before the last ship soon sails...
You are in 'The Shrine,' the underground cabaret of African musical-political legend Fela Kuti (1938-1997), inventor of Afrobeat and scourge of military dictators.. Inventing Afrobeat in Africa is as momentous as James Brown inventing funk in the States...
The set design goes way beyond the stage, and decorations cover the ceiling, the walls, the aisles, even the inside of the theater's front doors.... These two one-minute promos only begin to suggest the riches that, briefly, away you... Following these excerpts, check out some footage of the real Fela Kuti...
The set design goes way beyond the stage, and decorations cover the ceiling, the walls, the aisles, even the inside of the theater's front doors.... These two one-minute promos only begin to suggest the riches that, briefly, away you... Following these excerpts, check out some footage of the real Fela Kuti...
Here's a great two-minute song by Fela, a real find since his average song is a jazzy, improvisational 9-10 minutes...
Here's a longer clip of Fela Kuti live at the Shrine, music interspersed with interview...
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