Ajanonwu’s Double Cross, perfect denouement for a fringe season

All is well, that ends well! That’s the title of one of William Shakespeare’s popular plays. Considered to be one of his ‘problem plays’, it is a play that poses complex ethical dilemmas that require more than typically simple solutions.

Double Cross, written by Tricia (Ajax) Ajanonwu and directed by Femi (Tiger) Johnson, provides opportunity to provide a simple solution to a complex problem: cheating.

Featuring Rhoda Inaju as Zara, Susan Ajibade as Efe, Moradeke Adeniran (Lola) and Mayokun Hillary Babatunde, who acted as Ryan, the play explores the themes of friendship, trust, love and betrayal. The play tells a gripping story of three friends unknowingly in ‘love’ with one man, who brings to the fore, the sad reality of an age overtaken by deceit, exploitation and dishonesty.

The plot follows the three friends: Lola, Zara and Efe, the eldest among them. Lola, a classy, rude and materialistic lady, is always at loggerheads with Efe, a loud, strong-willed and defensive lady who is cautious about love. Their friend Zara, being a sassy, carefree and humorous lady, does not really concern herself with whatever squabbles the other two engage in.

These three friends always share every detail of their lives including their monthly girl’s hangout. On this particular weekend, overflowing with excitement, the girls share the big news about the new guy in their lives, oblivious of the rude shock that awaits them: It is during the conversation that little pieces of information start to sound eerily familiar. One by one, they realise they’re all dating Ryan, the same smooth talking, charming guy. The situation, however, takes an unexpected twist when they learn that Zara is pregnant with Ryan’s child.

As time passes, the three girls realise they’ve been deceived into dating the same man. Their loyalty is tested, but instead of tearing each other into pieces, they join forces to deal ruthlessly with the player Ryan, who goes by many aliases.

This moment of peripeteia turns out to be an empowering journey of self-discovery and friendship. They vow to stick together and protect one another in the future.

And for Yemi Olanrewaju, the opportunity to present Double Cross was all the icing on the cake for him to declare that his journey into the Fringe Theatre run has begun.

Speaking on his participation in the 2024 Lagos Fringe as well as the play, Olanrewaju said, “I have always been a theatre person; I do films, TVs and stage. I decided to come to the Fringe this year because I realised that it is a melting pot for creatives and you can only tap from them if you are a part of them.”

He added, “I’m elated about the performance of the cast which was well selected, as well as the director. It’s been a rollercoaster journey. The story is relatable; it’s good that the girls learned their lessons while the guy gets punished at the end.”

On what informed his directorial concept, Femi Tiger, said the fact that people are now living in a fake world, where human beings are double-faced makes the play timely. “You meet people online and you can’t tell the kind of people they are. I have many women around me that have been heartbroken several times, so I wanted to bring to life the ills happening in the society where a man can be sampling several women and it’s fine by them. Women, especially the mature ones, should not be blinded by sweet talks but follow their instincts. The red flags are always there; they should be careful,” he said.

The Lagos Fringe Festival is a grassroots event that emerged from the now rested Lagos Theatre Festival. This year’s festival offered a range of special programmes that focus on professional growth, collaboration, and mentorship for creatives of all backgrounds.

The programmes included, #GiveMeTha’MoneySeries — Workshops on monetising creative content, including grant writing, elevator pitching, and contract negotiation; Women in the Arts Initiative — Equipping female creatives through workshops and grant-funded productions, including the Equitable Gender Storytelling Workshop; Young Critics & Reviewers Programme — Cultivating new art critics through peer mentorship and strategies to monetise review content; AI Tools Workshop — An interactive exploration of how artificial intelligence is transforming creative workflows.

A highlight of Lagos Fringe 2024 was the Festival Gathering, a hybrid programme with the British Council, designed to equip African arts leaders with festival management skills focusing on sustainability, funding and programming.
Launched virtually in September 2024, this residency welcomed over 50 festival managers from Africa and Europe, including participants from Kenya, Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, and the UK.