Kakadu the Musical Theatre, first premiered 10 years ago to critical acclaim in April and May, 2013, has led to the emergence of a host of musical shows. When it premiered, it did so well that it was given an award by the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP) in 2013.
Part of the citation for the award was that it was a total theatre production. Kakadu was a famous nightclub back in the 1950s and 1960s until the Nigerian Civil War broke out.
When the fog of war finally cleared and victims began to pick up the pieces of their lives, Kakadu owner returned to business, but life was no longer the same. How did it all happen and where has that national scar left the country ever since? This is at the heart of Kakadu the Musical Theatre, written and produced by legal luminary, Mr. Uche Nwokedi, which premiered in 2013.
However, the musical theatre’s resonance is for all seasons. As it returns to stage again at MUSON Centre, Lagos from December 28 to 30, 2023, Nwokedi relives the life of his musical theatre and the dramatic promises it holds for global audiences including its primary one – Nigerians! With an economy spiralling out of control, cultural productions like Kakadu needless take a backseat. But First Bank Plc’s support arm for the arts, First@Arts, and Kingmakers have come to the rescue and are supporting Kakadu for this Christmas performance.
It’s Nwokedi’s dream to take the show round Nigeria if right sponsorship comes along, a scenario he blames on ‘the shrinking economy’, which he said is a huge challenge.
What you could get away with before cost-wise, you can’t do it again. It’s not justifiable; and it’s not as if people are being unreasonable, it’s just life. That’s what it is.
“At the time of its premiere, I think it was something that was totally unexpected. And in a way, it brought another genre of theatre to the stage in Nigeria. Since then, Kakadu has travelled to Calabar, Davos in Switzerland and Jo’burg in South Africa. Yes, it’s almost a completely new company or cast, the fourth that has run Kakadu since it premiered in 2013. Our usual approach is to audition each time we have a run.
“The main thing is that it is an enduring production with an enduring theme. What I find most interesting is that the plot and its message continue to resonate through the years, with the central question – How do we build a nation? Each time we run, we leave it to the cast to address that question. The plot continues to resonate throughout Nigeria, especially Nigeria today. It’s always relevant, always addressing our national consciousness; it’s enduring. It’s the kind of production that when you see it again, the historicity of it puts your mind on enquiry – “where are we now?”
The sense of nostalgia it invokes in the music and the lifestyle of the 1960s, and that perennial sense of loss of a golden era after watching it leaves audiences asking for more. And the question it continues to invoke is, where does Nigeria go as a country in search of nationhood?
“Yes indeed, that is one of the central questions,” Nwokedi agrees and further stresses, “Where do we go from here? So, the question is, ‘how do we build a nation?’ When we staged it in South Africa that was what they held on to. One of the patrons who came to see the show said she liked the fact that, at the end of the day, we asked the question, ‘how do we build a nation?’, because that’s also where they are. That question, ‘how do we build a nation’ resonated so well with them. That is a question that’s facing Nigeria today: how do we build a nation? It’s a question we should always ask ourselves in everything that we do: how do we build a nation?”
His last work is a childhood memoir on the bloody Nigerian Civil War, A Shred of Fear, the same war that inspired Kakadu. Which is his favourite?
“Your question is like having two children that are different in character and you ask yourself: are you saying you prefer one child to the other?” Nwokedi asks.
“One might be rascally and playful, and the other might be serious and studious, but you love them both equally. Kakadu is interesting in the sense that it’s a musical; there is a lot of music in it, so it gives a different look on things. So, we have another character. When you look at both works, you see very different characters who are united in their love for music. We underestimate the influence of music in our lives. If you look at Nigeria today and what kids like Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, Rema are doing, you will appreciate that they are our best ambassadors Nigeria has today and like our footballers and athletes they too should be encouraged, because anywhere you go in the world, they play Nigerian music. There is nothing that the government has done to get us that kind of PR. They have been the ambassadors in the universal acknowledgement of Nigerian talent. We must be very careful to nurture and promote that aspect of the arts.”
Nwokedi says a new freshness and energy have been infused into producing Kakadu to make it a must-see performance.
“Some people asked me, ‘why are you doing it again’, you’ve done it before’, and I said it’s the same Kakadu but a different production. Production-wise, it’s different. So anybody that saw it a few years ago and comes to see it now will be looking at a different show. I mean, we’ve worked on the music and improved, we’ve worked on the drama and improved, the staging will be somewhat different. And again, you see it through the eyes of these young people as well, who in their own way are trying to interpret what is going on in Nigeria. It’s a bit of a history lesson for these new actors as well. What was Nigeria like in the 1960s and what is it now? So they have to do their own research on what Nigeria was in the 60s and what it is now.”
