Tings Dey Happen
Tings Dey Happen
Tings Dey Happen was an amazing play. Not only was the plot itself a political masterpiece, but the cast did a remarkable job bringing the script to life. What was not expected was the cast of sixteen characters to be played by a single man.
The plain stage and very simplistically dressed man come as a shock at first. “How good could this possibly be?” people were questioning the potential of the performance they were about to watch. Much to the surprise of everybody, this exuberant actor did a wonderful job of memorizing all of the different accents, facial expressions, and lines of all sixteen characters.
Aside from the skills that the actor displayed, the characters all came to life. If one were to close his eyes, he would think that there were sixteen actors on stage performing. The script, which in itself is a very moving piece, grew even more appealing as it was performed.
The surprise of a single man show did have its downsides as well. The acting and actual performance took away from the story itself. Most of the concentration was on this extraordinary actor rather than on the message he was trying to get across. Also, because this one man played all sixteen characters, it was somewhat difficult to keep track of what each character’s role in the play was.
Aside from the very few negative aspects of the way in which this play was performed, it was significantly better than what was expected. The script itself was very hard to understand and even more difficult to enjoy. When this man got up on stage and started babbling about in so many different accents, and flying all over the stage with every change of character, the attention of the audience was immediately fixated on the stage.
Possibly the strongest factor in this performance was the energy of the actor. Dan Hoyle gave the script a sense of passion, comedy, and excitement all while conveying a very important message. His ability to alternate between characters was definitely complemented by his enthusiasm to perform. To be able to stay on that stage for a whole ninety minutes without intermission takes a lot of stamina. Kudos to the actor for having such a strong desire to perform and to enlighten the audience on a current issue.
He spoke of oil politics in Nigeria, and the affects that it was having on the land, and on the people. War is always a touchy subject and to be able to turn some points of it into a comedy proved to very effectively lighten the mood as to not send the audience home in tears. Hoyle was able to captivate the audience’s mind, entertain them, and allow them to go home and think about the way society is run today.
Although the stage, the costume, and the props were as plain as could be, it was a wise decision to remain as mundane as possible. If there were colorful lights or props, it would take away attention from the performer. Instead, upon entering the theater, the audience is confused as to why the stage is so dull. This confusion turns into curiosity and eventually, Dan Hoyle is able to quench the audience’s thirst for knowledge with a very powerful and touching play.
The actor was phenomenal, the stage and props were complementing, and the plot and storyline were intensely dramatic and highly informative. Not much more can be asked of a political performance.