FELA! On Broadway: "Everybody say 'Yeah yeah.'”

Forty-nine albums, Twenty-seven wives, two hundred arrests, and a fusion of sounds from West Africa, North America, and Europe, not to mention the numerous raids and rallies and regroupings. This dizzying combination of tragedy and triumph took fifty-nine years for “the one who carries death in his pouch” to live out. Yet, much of what is impressive and important about the life of this icon has been exquisitely translated for the stage by acclaimed director and choreographer Bill T. Jones (Spring Awakening). FELA!, the Broadway Musical based on the life and music of African composer and performer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, is a dynamic and engaging fusion of monologue, movement, and multimedia.

A fictitious premise—that Fela is giving a final concert after his mother’s death—provides the infrastructure on which the cast of FELA! builds its extraordinary performance. Beyond the high-energy chorus and dance numbers by the ensemble; and beyond the soaring vocals of Lillias White (Funmilayo) and Saycon Sengbloh (Sandra), FELA’s most impressive element is the underground concert-like atmosphere that the production inhabits. The tin-siding backdrop, the florescent graffiti, and the smoky night-club vibe transforms the Eugene O’Neill Theater into Fela Kuti’s Lagos-based Shrine.

Fela Kuti (played on alternating nights by Sahr Nguajah and Kevin Mambo) works the audience in a performance that is part musician, part politician, and part stand-up comedian. In an opening sequence titled “Breaking It Down,” the cast delivers a concentrated dose of Kuti’s politics and the origins of Afrobeat. Staying true the call-and-response element of Fela’s music, the cast encourages audience members to participate throughout the show (“Everybody say ‘yeah yeah.’”). Kuti’s Afrobeat is anchored by a linear storyline and more traditional Broadway ballads. This marriage of Antibalas—the Brooklyn-based collective credited with ushering afrobeat into the 21st Century—and Broadway pays homage to the cultural fusion that distinguished Kuti’s artistry.

Similar to Kuti’s daring politics and unique sound, FELA! on Broadway breaks the mold of traditional musicals. This dynamic and moving portrait of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti will definitely send audiences away saying, “Yeah yeah.”