Art & Authenticy

After reading Brantley’s review of “West Side Story,” I expected harsh criticism of Bill T. Jones’s “Fela!” But I was surprised to see that many of his views were similar to mines. He was able to capture a combination of all of our presentations in reviewing “Fela!”

I was extremely excited to see that Brantley shares a lot of my views on Fela! He was able to appreciate the fact that it was such an energetic show, and that it really brings the audience to Nigeria and the struggles that they surpassed. He even acknowledged the lighting which i didn’t mention in my discussions about “Fela!” but Robert Wierzel did a phenomenal job at bringing a different light and life to the theater. The videos by Peter Nigrini which he also mentions were also key in literally setting the stage to an amazing performance. I loved when he said that he wonders why the rest of the neighborhood was not dancing and singing along as well. The energy that the performers brought to the performance almost makes it not even feel like a performance in a theater, but like the events are happening in Nigeria and we are a part of the rebellion.

Although he acknowledged the women for different reasons than I did, I was glad to see that Brantley noticed the talent the women had, and how important the women were to not only in the performance but in Fela Kuti’s life. Brantley loved the women and the dancing for obvious reasons but he still understood how important their role was in the performance.  He also mentioned the music, and that that it was carries the message that Fela is trying to send out.

He draws upon the fact that teenagers have all been part of a rebellion and it reminded me of what I was thinking about when I saw the performance. “These are some passionate teens.” I remembered the students in my High School would dance in the hallways as a form of expression and I saw that same passion in  “Fela!” Overall, Brantley and I shared the same opinions of “Fela!”