Saro the Musical is a Nigerian Broadway-style musical showcase produced by Bolanle Austen Peters Production.
Plot
Set in modern day Lagos, Saro portrays the lives of four young men who are determined to become successful despite frustration and perennial lack of opportunities to explore their musical talents and realise their dreams. It tells a story of their journey from the comfort of their multi-ethnic villages seeking a better life in the city of
Lagos
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...
, which is seen as a land of freedom and opportunities.
On getting to Lagos, they find that not all that glitters is gold and ‘blowing’ will take more than just a stroke of luck. Having just arrived in
Yaba, they are mugged by
agberos and end up in prison alongside their attackers following an altercation. Their dreams of making it appear bleak until the smooth-talking and stylish Don Ceeto swaggers in. Don Ceeto takes the boys home and with some help from Derry Black, he cleans them up and sets them up on the road to stardom.
Azeez finds chemistry with Aunty Just Jane who is Don Ceeto’s assistant while Efe is persistently pursued by the Lagos babe, Ronke.
Laitan wished he could stay with Rume but she convinced him to go and find success so that he could come back to prove to her father that he was capable of marrying his daughter.
Staying behind in the village, with her disapproving father and the threat of being married to the Chief’s son hanging over her is Rume.
Score
The musical score ranged from the 70s
High Life and
Afrobeat to contemporary Afrobeats,
Igbo and
Yoruba
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
gospel songs to
Eyo masquerade songs. The original songs were written by Kehinde Oretimehin Solomon and the musical selections were directed by Ayo Ajayi.
The first song is a Yoruba ballad titled ‘Ma gbagbe mi’.
This utterly emotional and mind blowing song was written by Kehinde Oretimehin Solomon and has been performed by many classical singers across the world
Cast
*
Gideon Okeke
Gideon Okeke is a Nigerian actor, model, and TV Presenter. He came to the public eye in 2006 when he appeared as a contestant on the first edition of '' Big Brother Nigeria''. In 2008, Gideon joined the cast of the M-NET TV series ''Tinsel'' on wh ...
- Azeez, the leader
*Patrick Diabuah - Laitan, the thinker
*Paul Ifeanyi Alumona - Obaro, the dreamer
*Paolo Sisiano - Efe, the charmer
*
Bimbo Manuel
Bimbo Manuel (born 30 October 1958) is a Nigerian actor. He was nominated for Best actor in a supporting role at the 2013 Nollywood Movies Awards.
Career
Bimbo hails from Lagos State. After graduating from the University of Port Harcourt with ...
- Don Ceeto
*
Dolapo Oni
Dolapo Oni, sometimes referred as Marcy Dolapo Oni is a Nigerian actress, TV presenter, mentor and MC.
Early life
Oni is the youngest of four children of her family. She spent 20 years living in the United Kingdom before she returned to Nigeria ...
* Ade Laoye - Aunty ‘Just Jane’
*
Lami Phillips - Derry Black
*Oshuwe Tunde-Imoyo - Ronke
*Kaline Akinkugbe - Rume
*
Kunle Afolayan - Rume’s father
Production
''SARO the musical'' was produced by Bolanle Austen-Peters Productions (BAP) as its first production. It played at
Muson Centre
MUSON Centre (Musical Society of Nigeria) is a performance hall in Lagos. The multipurpose civic auditorium is located in the heart of Lagos Island, situated between the National Museum, the City Mall, the Onikan Stadium and the former offic ...
in December 2014 and April 2015. It is also the first Nigerian musical that was performed at London’s
West End and
Shaw Theatre
The Shaw Theatre is a theatre in Somers Town, in the London Borough of Camden. It is a part of the Pullman London St Pancras hotel, located off Euston Road.
St Pancras library
Before being refurbished in 1998, the Shaw Theatre originally ope ...
.
It was sponsored by the arts and culture initiative of the
MTN Foundation.
The production involved a 100 member crew including both international and local professionals ranging from the directors, producers, musicians, actors/actresses, dancers and choreographers.
Ayo Ajayi served as the music director, with Kehinde Oretimehin Solomon as original score writer
References
{{Reflist
Musicals set in Nigeria
Nigerian musicals
2014 musicals
Musicals set in the 2010s