Kakadu’s Enduring Appeal

The standing ovation after the curtains fell said it all: the audience had enjoyed every bit of Kakadu The Musical, indicating that the decision to return to the stage a decade after its premiere was inspired.

Written by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Uche Nwokedi, and first staged in 2013, ‘Kakadu’ triggered renewed interest in musicals, which had then taken backstage, with other producers unveiling their own.

It had travelled the world, showing in Davos, Switzerland and South Africa before Nwokedi appeared to rest it. But his decision was strategic to preserve the production’s appeal.

The musical returned to the MUSON Centre, Onikan Lagos, from December 28 to 30 with a blend of returning and new artists, including Benneth Ogbeiwi (the inimitable Lord Lugard Da Rocha), Kemi-Lala Akindoju, Nobert Young and Tina Mba to mark its 10th anniversary.

The UK-based Kanayo Omo remained the Artistic Director, with Ogbeiwi as the music director. They raised the roof on the three days, with the last performance on December 30 outstanding, leaving theatre lovers hopeful of a swift return perhaps at Easter.

Featuring significant improvements, including the current state of national politics and development, Kakadu tells the story of dreams, hopes, friendships, broken promises, loss, love, and innocence. The then-famous Kakadu Lagos nightclub in the 50s and 60s is the backdrop of the musical. It was a famous watering hole for people before the Nigerian Civil War happened. Things were never the same for the four friends from different tribes- Emeka, Kola, Osahon and Dapo alongside their female counterparts – Bisi, Ammonia, Enoh and Hassana it centres around after the war.

‘Kakadu’ is a kaleidoscope of sounds: highlife, calypso, Latin beat, Afrobeat, Anglo-American soul, pop, and Nigerian folk songs, which evoke nostalgia for the ‘60s and the great musicians of yesteryears. To say that the artists, led by the velvet-toned DaRocha (Ogbeiwi), killed the songs would be an understatement. They were mercurial.

Beyond music and entertainment, the 10th anniversary edition, supported by First Bank’s First@Arts arts funding platform, also touches on nation-building and asks how Nigeria should proceed, especially with the current economic hardships, insecurity and loss of confidence in the government.

Notably, the play fulfilled a promise by Nwokedi, who disclosed unique additions in an earlier interview, including a much younger cast who had to research events portrayed in the production.

He had said, “Production-wise, it’s different. So, anybody who saw it a few years ago and comes to see it now will be looking at a different show. We’ve worked on the music and improved; we’ve worked on the drama and improved, and the staging will be somewhat different. And again, you see it through the eyes of these young people as well, who, in their way, are trying to interpret what is happening in Nigeria. It’s a history lesson for these new actors as well. What was Nigeria like in the 1960s, and what is it like now? So, they have to research what Nigeria was in the 60s and what it is now.”

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