By Damiete Braide
Theatre lovers will have a swell time this festive season as Lufodo Productions Ltd stages The King Must Dance Naked, a play written by renowned playwright and legal practitioner, Fred Agbeyegbe.
The play was written in 1983 and dwells on the unbalanced laws guiding human existence and how a queen tried to twist them.
The King Must Dance Naked is “woven around a man-woman riddle,” exploring the intricate relationship between the gods and society, as well as the contemporary issues, such as leadership ineptitude. It’s a play that looks at culture, tradition, leadership, and how all those things intersect.
The play is produced by Olu Jacobs and Adesoji Jacobs, while Joke Silva is the executive producer, and directed by Toritseju Ejoh and Adebunmi Adewale. It opens this Friday at the historic Glover Memorial Hall, Customs Street, Marina, Lagos, and continues on December 23rd, 24th, 29th and 30th, 2023; and January 5th, 6th, and 7th, 2024 respectively.
Notable actors who will feature in the play include Edmond Enaibe (as Atseburukuajagbo), Gloria Young (as Queen Odosun), Toyin Oshinaike (Narrator), Albert Akaeze (Ogodobiri), Seyi Fasuyi (Afinotan), Efe Mayford-Orhorha (Ogbemi), Omololu Sodiya (Ololo), Mike Okorie (Ofioto), and Smart Adejumo (Jolomi), among others.
Speaking with journalists at the preview of the play, veteran thespian, Joke Silva, who previously played a lead role of Queen Odosun in the play in 1993, noted that Agbeyegbe had many remarkable plays, but “The King Must Dance Naked’ was chosen for a special reason: “One of the most famous of his plays is The King Must Dance Naked. It’s a play that looks at culture, tradition, leadership, and how all those things intersect. Where do they divide?”
The producer, Soji Jacobs, also noted that The King Must Dance Naked is a culturally rich piece, and that it has a lot of political undertones to it. According to him, this is not the first time Lufodo Productions is producing The King Must Dance Naked. “And we took it to the Olympics in 2012. It’s a very cultural, culturally rich piece. The King Must Dance Naked has a lot of political undertones to it, and we believe that it’s a show that a lot of Nigerians, young and old, would appreciate and we’re hoping for an excellent turnout.
“The reason why we’re doing this now is that we are showing people that theatre is the cutting edge of entertainment and why people need to embrace theatre –the humanisation of society is necessary. That’s what theatre does for the Nigerian community. Also, it’s a way of providing an opportunity for them to be in the theatre space,” he said.
Toritseju Ejoh noted that the play was a hit in the early 1990s for theatres in Nigeria, and is still relevant today in Nigeria with its leadership and political undertones, adding that it was an introspect in leadership and the quality of leaders. “Are you willing to be accountable? That’s what the play is asking. Leadership is about being willing to be accountable. These are the questions that arise from the text, The King Must Dance Naked. You will be here to see the interpretation, the movement dance, and the music at the show.
“It touches on the rich Itshekiri history and culture which the writer has used as his backdrop. Of course, the play is written by Pa Fred Agbeyegbe, who is 88 years old this year.
The play made its mark in the early 1990s which was a hit for theatre in Nigeria,” Ejoh said.
According to him, one of the reasons for the latest show was the celebration of the playwright, Agbeyegbe’s 88ty birthday, while the second reason “is the introspect into leadership in present-day Nigeria. Are we willing to be naked? Are we willing to show what is in our closet? If we have nothing to hide, then we need to let the spotlight shine on us. So what we’ve done today is to allow the spotlight to shine on us as performers.”