One of the hottest shows of 2018 is about to take Abuja by storm. The nation’s capital may have a reputation as a plaid, sleepy city with an entertainment scene that is as interesting as boiling water but ‘Legends, Kings and Kingdoms: the Musical,’ showing this Friday and Saturday looks set to dent all of that.
Here are the five reasons why we are excited (and you should be too) about the show
- Folks everywhere are in LOVE with the show
To put it nicely, Legends is a wildly popular show. It was so popular with theatregoers that it has had two show runs when it debuted last year, one in October and another over Christmas.
Why this is a feat is because only a few shows ever enjoy multiple runs – Fela and the Kalakuta Queens and Moremi: the Musical are the only shows presently, apart from Legends that come to mind.
This year, it has added two more show runs to its resume – in Bonny, Rivers in February and another at the MUSON Centre in Lagos which ended just last week. Now, the truth is heading to the nation’s capital.
- African heroes are kicking ass
Speaking of things that don’t happen a lot, how many times have you seen or heard of African heroes fighting for the great cause? Those stories are just so rare that we lost our minds over such phenomenons as Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone and Nnedi Okorafor’s CV.
For the uninitiated, Legends is simply the story of five African heroes: Nigeria’s Sango, Nana Yaa Asantewaa of the Ashanti in modern Ghana, Neferneferuaten Nefertiti of Egypt, Shaka, King of the Zulus in modern South Africa and Queen Amina of Zazzau (modern northern Nigeria) answering the call of a distressed priestess to save her people, ‘Modaland,’ from a common foe – the Shadow.
Riveting and spellbinding, Legends will have you hooked. What can we say, we’re just hungry for good African stories.
- Strong female empowerment theme
In this age of female empowerment and fostering gender equality, it is refreshing to see a story that reminds us of how women have been at the centre of great and heroic acts. Legends the Musical is packed full of strong female heroes.
From Nana, Nefertiti and Amina playing starring roles to the priestess of Modaland reminding us of the beauty and grace of sacrifice, this show leaves the distinct impression that the African woman is not someone you want to mess around with.
Simply put, women rock.
- Waje joins the gang (and Yinka Davies is back too!)
The talent bank on this show is off the charts. Where do we start? Is it the young and vibrant creative director Ayo Ajayi, an alumnus of the MTN/MUSON programme for creative professionals? Veteran lyricist and actress Yinka Davies (who was in the first show run but sadly missed the second one because everyone wants her on their production?) Or is it legendary Crown Troupe of Africa artistic director, Segun Adefila?
And to cap it all off, it has been announced that popular vocalist Waje, with a voice range probably spanning the entire country, will be joining the cast in an expanded show format.
With talent like these, those music and dance scenes will be sick!
- Colour. Dance. Sound. Action!
Legends is a photochromic, panoramic mashup of action-packed scenes, elaborate dance routines, tastefully crafted sound and an enhanced stage. We could tell you more but we’ll just allow the pictures speak for itself.
Legends shows at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton, Abuja on Friday, June 7 and Saturday, June 8. It is sponsored by the MTN Foundation as part of its Arts and Culture Initiative.
The post As Legends the Musical Hits Abuja, Here Are The 5 Things You Need to Know appeared first on Nigerian Entertainment Today.
by 208headlines