Akeem Lasisi
Two emerging Nigerian stars, Broda Shaggi and Thin Tall Tony, are blessing theatre lovers with a lot of fun at The MUSON Centre, where a really intriguing play, ITAN: The Story, by Ayo Jaiyesinmi opened on Saturday.
Although the duo broke into limelight in different genres – Shaggi through Instagram comedy and Tony, on the Big Brother Naija reality show – they are proving that they are multi-talented as they tickle the audience with real acting, dance, songs and more. Another young star proving unstoppable in the show is Omowumi Dada, who has been part of several films and plays.
They are, however, getting their match in seasoned stage actors such as Nissi George and Efe Mayford Orhorha, whose riveting delivery has raised the standard of the play. Interestingly, this is the kernel of the story of ‘ITAN’: an expensive friction between the past and the present, the old and the young, as well as between what is on and what to come.
In the play that is still running today (Sunday) and tomorrow Easter Monday, old Pa Latinwo has to leave the village for the city in search of what remains of his family: Diekola, his grandson, whom life has rather sold to licentiousness. Both of them need an Asiko (Time, the revealer, inspiringly played by George with masterly elocution) to rediscover themselves as being victims of self and external excesses. Tony is the DK (Diekola) while Shaggi’s talent flowers so much in the play that he effortlessly moves from one character to the other.
ITAN is cool with smashing costumes from various cultures, musicals of various genres and generations as well as sporadic humour that makes the seriousness of the theme a fun. As a result, many Lagosians who saw the play on Saturday gave kudos to Jaiyesinmi, who is so ambitious with the play that she introduced celebrity fashion entrepreneur, Funmi Oladipo Ajila, into the play. They noted that she did a brilliant job in terms of casting and making the play round with engaging elements.
The play is on at the MUSON 4pm and 7pm today; as well as 1pm, 4pm and 7pm on tomorrow, Monday.
On her passion for the theatre, Jaiyesinmi says, “From childhood, I have been fascinated with storytelling. I spent my early childhood years in the UK where we got tucked into bed and listened to bedtime stories from the Bible or a collection of Hans Andersen’s ‘Fairy Tales’. I climbed Jack’s ‘Beanstalk’, went in search of Rumple Stiltskin, walked the yellow brick path and danced with Cinderella in her dingy room when she returned from the ball.
“I learnt from a very young age, the power of vivid imagination and the ability to live uncaged in worlds you could create. That I believe is the bedrock of harmony – the ability to build various perspectives, coupled with ones own to build a beautiful convincing story. My parents were very family inclined, conversational and proud of their African/ Nigerian roots, so whilst we had bedtime stories from Hans Andersen, we had times we sat around my mother and she would teach us African games, proverbs and stories. I never got tired of the stories of the very cunning tortoise and some of the do’s and do not’s I have today are crafted out of the many troubles he got himself into. We danced, played games like ten-ten, suwe (hop scotch) and learnt some of the really sonorous songs and choruses that accompanied these stories.
“In case of my father, every visit to places like Madam Tussauds, Trafalgar Square Buckingham Palace was not only an opportunity to educate us on the history of the space, like Guy Fawkes and the many wax works at Madam Tussaudses, but also to weave in African folklore that envisioned us or taught us some morals. It’s at Trafalgar Square as we held the Pigeon’s, that he told us the story of how the attributes of the rare bird – the Eagle. I walked with my head high from, then, because I was born an eagle – rare, prestigious, flying almost next to the sun!
These stories that have shaped my life since I was a three to four-year-old are still very much a part of me. African stories, however with the use of proverbs, imagery , song and communal setting are an excellent way of envisioning our world. Stories passed from one generation to another generation not only shape society but give a common vision, common values and etch an identity and strong sense of purpose on our hearts. So all through my life and various careers that I’ve had, storytelling was the thread that ran through it all.
“What does an Accountant, Human Resource Practitioner, Change Management Professional, Writer and a Theatre Arts Practitioner have in common? Storytelling! Albeit it to different audiences, in different formats
“As a writer, my delight is to transport readers into the world I create. But, most importantly, it’s one that offers options for real conflicts. To paint these pictures even more vividly I have produced some of them as plays and followed up with conversations on various platforms. This is the context in which ‘ITAN: The Story’ is, for instance, created For example, as a Human Resource Practitioner, I’m very interested in the impact of generational diversity in the community, workplace and family and the emerging future. ‘ITAN the Story’ (Asiko’s Quest) is my attempt to capture the impact of cross generational conflicts and paint a picture of a harmonious communal living whereby each gene reaction in spite its weaknesses or strengths, gleam off each other.
“This is laced with strong Adfrican culture exhibited in dance, costume, lingo, ceremonies , cuisine and music. But this was still not enough to capture the requisite conversations across the divide. Also my craving for good quality modern African Stories triggered my collaboration with Comic Republic to create comic characters, comic books and merchandise to tell themed stories and stories that celebrate our culture. In addition to the play, ‘ITAN the Story’ is expressed as comic book series, flash cards, story books and merchandise. We also plan an animated cartoon series, book buffets and costume parades to tell the story.
“We seek partners, investors, collaborators and strategic alliances to fully birth the project.”
