The big-name producers -- Jay-Z, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith -- brought cachet. Celebrated choreographer Bill T. Jones brought credibility. Together, they hoped their reputations would bring crowds to hear the invigorating Afro-beat music of Fela Kuti, the Bob Marley of Nigeria.
"Fela!" tells his story -- complete with 27 wives, government persecution, imprisonment and the fatal abuse of his mother by soldiers -- via musical performance and multimedia.
"We tried to be as subversive as we could," said Jones. "We used a lot of nonlinear thinking." That includes having his troupe of 20-plus African dancers prance through the audience while Fela invites theatergoers to join in.
Fully capturing that experience will be a challenge for the high-definition telecast of the show from London's West End that can be seen Thursday at the Guthrie Theater. But audiences don't have much of a choice. The Broadway production closed Jan. 2 after a 13-month run that won three Tonys and rave reviews. While a tour is planned, the first stop is Lagos, Nigeria.
Tom Hoch, president of the Hennepin Theatre Trust, said: "Should it tour domestically, we would certainly be pleased to present 'Fela!' I loved the show."
JON BREAM
