Back in March 2013, I stumbled upon a play put on by the G22 Production Company at Terra Kulture, on Victoria Island, Lagos. I had other plans for that evening but a chance encounter with Chuka Agili, the producer/co-director, rescheduled my evening. I did not regret it. The only amateurish thing about the play was probably its title: The King Has Never Done It. But as the performance wore on it struck me that despite the fact that all the performers were ‘amateurs’ whose day jobs chained them to some corporate desk or the other, their performance was good enough for me to buy a season’s ticket.
The play is set in the Aromire Kingdom and revolves around the court of a king in love with his own pleasures. He was wanting a heir and slave girl Olamma (Fedora Anunobi) was on hand to taunt his two wives with the possibility of one. The play was fully deserving of the description ‘comedy’, with the king’s perpetually-drunk half-brother, Adewale (played by Mosunmade Omofolarin) delivering a stand-out performance. – The part of a drunk is the easiest to parody on the dramatic stage, and the hardest to get right. – There is indeed an art to falling about!
Great way to pass an evening. Pity the high-flying staff of the next bank you do business in: many an excellent thespian might be languishing inside those stiff suits.
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CAST – in order of appearance ADEWALE - MOSUNMADE OMOFOLARIN CHIEF PRIEST - ADETOWUN ADEKOYA AGAAKIN - OLUMIDE AGUNLOYE BALOGUN - DAMILOLA JIBUNOH IYAOLODE - CHINELOMA ELEODIMUO WONUOLA - AMAKA ONWUBUYA SUKANMI - OSOBA BORHA OLAMMA - FEDORA ANUNOBI TOWN CRIER - WURAOLA SOJI-GEORGE NARRATOR 1 - EHIMEN OGHUMAN MORENIKEJI - ANNE CHINWEZE 1ST MAID (ATINUKE)- DOYIN AYORINDE 2ND MAID (GORIOLA)-OLUWATOBI ODIASE OBA ADETUNJI - OLADIMEJI WILLIAMS EGBA WARRIORS: - CHINO IBEKWE - DEOTI ONABOLU - TOBI ODIASE - DEJI MARTINS - DOYIN AYORINDE NARRATOR 2 - DEOTI ONABOLU GUARD - CHUKA AGILI NARRATOR 3 - TEMITOPE AINA FEMALE DANCERS: - TEMITOPE AINA - WURAOLA SOJI-GEORGE - CHINO IBEKWE - TOMI BENSON MALE DANCERS: - DEOTI ONABOLU - DIMEJI WILLIANS - OSOBA BORHA - DAMILOLA JIBUNOH COSTUMES: - ENIOLA FOLAMI - CHINELOMA ELEODIMUO - TOBI ODIASE - DEOTI ONABOLU STORY: - DEJI MARTINS - EHIMEN OGHUMAN - TOBI ODIASE SCRIPT WRITERS: - EHIMEN OGHUMAN - DEJI MARTINS - TOBI ODIASE - OSOSBA BORHA - DEOTI ONABOLU - AMAKA ONWUBUYA - FEDORA ANUNOBI DIRECTORS: - DEJI MARTINS - CHUKA AGILI - EHIMEN OGUMAN PRODUCER: - CHUKA AGILI