Simeon Mpamugoh
Ada the Country, a stage musical from the stable of Doyenne Circle is set to hit the stage of the MUSON Centre, Lagos, on 2nd January, 2020. Produced and directed by the multi-award winning producer cum actor, Kemi Lala Akindoju, Ada the Country is a story of survival of a young woman who lost everything there could be in a single event of fire outbreak but her will to overcome.
In this potential classic, Doyenne Circle teams up with Lala Akindoju and Titilope Sonuga to bring you Ada the Country: A Musical with Kate Henshaw as Lead. According to Ms Akindoju, Ada the Country is a story of women coming through for their like, where the survival of an unfortunate woman drew the sympathy and support of other women, who rallied round her through the thick and thin in her life journey.
“Ada the Country is more than just a survival story of a woman but that of a situation where the institutions failed, but the womenfolk rose up, took ownership and did the work to build the world they desired. It is a story that celebrates the magic women can make when they come together, and the audience will identify with it as it is an everyday story told in an exciting way by a renowned playwright, Titilope Sonuga, and performed by an experienced cast of actors.”
Sonuga is an award-winning writer, poet and performer whose work has graced stages and pages across the globe. Akindoju, who has featured in over 70 theatre productions and films around the world, including MNET Africa’s “Tinsel”, Tunde Kelani’s “Dazzling Mirage”, Kunle Afolayan’s “The CEO”, among many others, and formed part of the team that performed at the Theatre Royale Stratford East at the cultural Olympiad during the London Olympics in 2012, gave a glimpse of the cast.
“The versatile actor, Kate Henshaw, will be playing the lead role of Ada, who was dragged out of an inferno against her will, as she wasn’t ready to escape the snares of the fire until she rescues her only daughter, a nine-month old baby.”
“Other members of the cast”, according to her, “include, Patience Ozokwor – who will be playing an entirely different role from what Nigerians know of her – Joke Silva, Bimbo Akintola, Chigul, Lala Akindoju, Ade Laoye, Oludara Egerton-Shyngle and Oluchi Odii. Debbie Ohiri is the music director of the stage play,” she said.