Press Release

Mystery: A stage play to behold

The Agip Hall, Muson Centre, Lagos came alive for three days beginning from May 20, 2011 with mystery of stage drama bringing unreserved excitement to the audience like the times of old. The play itself was entitled Mystery.

Co-directed by Michael Asuelime and Seun Adeleye, the play, written by the former employed the rare style of “two people” conversation, a lawyer and an ex-convict, the storyline was marvellous and twisted, the inclusion of the mystery woman and the dancers was a welcome twist that depicted brilliance on the part of the author as the combination of the woman, actors and dancers brought the play to a climax.

The playwright, one must say, succeeded in adding value to the renewed culture of stage appreciation, backed by the performance drawn from an interesting storyline. One of the things which make the play awesome was its two-man showmanship; one would have expected it to be a bit boring, yet it kept the audience spellbound all through. One major spectacle was the Mystery woman who dropped from the sky while singing a soul touching song; that spectacle wowed the audience and even left some petrified.

The main casts for the play were Yemi Blaq who played the role of the lawyer, OC Ukeje who played the role of the ex-convict and Kemi‘LALA’ Akindoju who played the role of the mystery woman. The conversation between the lawyer and the ex-convict was one I would not forget in a hurry, the lawyer misrepresented the ex-convict a couple of years back and now that the ex-convict is out he wants the lawyer to represent himself before the ex-convict who now plays judge deciding if the lawyer lives or dies depending on how well he represents himself. The mystery woman narrated the story which the two main characters interpreted, the brilliant inclusion of the traditional dance was a clear indication that the author really loves his roots,

The interpretation of the roles by the cast was splendid; you could feel the tension in the air, the emotion laden voices, the struggle, the pain, one detail that left the audience speechless was the song rendered by the ex-convict. The mystery woman was also amazing as one could not ascertain her age or origin from her dance steps, words and looks. She was simply ageless

The stage design was remarkable as it paid attention to details; it depicted an unused warehouse as you could see the ladder, the water drum and other props. The lighting had an important role to play in the overall success of the play, it showed every detail on time and moods.

The high points of the play might differ from person to person but going by the claps and gasps in the hall, one would say that the point where the woman dropped from the sky was terrifying as it was impressive. Quite applauding was the soulful song she was singing while descending. It was also thought provoking that the lawyer, even when tied, could argue with a man who subdued him. The notable lesson in all is that what a man chooses to neglect today could come back to haunt him tomorrow.