nEw mUsiC frOm mRWaLz...

The Corporate SCAM called Sponsorship!

sometimes i wish there was a more effective way to enforce sponsorship contracts in Nigeria asides from the courts. Its a huge baffle why corporate entities consciously sign sponsorship contracts  with the intention to default on payment. a popular electronics giant out of Korea is especially making it a habit. the general misconception in our country that sponsoring an event is doing the promoter a huge favor is absolute B.S. If concerts where particularly easy and cheap to put together, every fool with a few bucks would be an event promoter.

All this 30% before event and 70% after business is the new SCAM from corporate entities. My advise to anyone planning an event that requires sponsorship: " get as much of your money as you can from the sponsor before the event, preferably at least 80%". I will leave it here for now.

FELA! my experience from behind the scenes II

as promised in my previous post the following are the more shots from behind the scenes:

back stage

lighting setup & testing

cast & crew cocktail welcome reception

As i mentioned in my last post also I am already working on the next big project, and every day that passes my passion brings me closer and closer to an opportunity for adrenaline rush.

FELA! my experience from behind the scenes I

The last few weeks have been pretty amazing for me. as a PR consultant i have worked on various accounts but none has been as exciting as working behind the scenes of FELA! This is obviously my first post in the last couple of months and its all cause i had to immerse my self in the spirit of the multi awarding winning broadway musical FELA!.

Bringing a broadway musical to Lagos especially when the theatre culture in Lagos is for shit seemed counter intuitive at the time. But what we had going for us was the identity of the Legend Fela anikulapo kuti on whom the broadway musical was based. So after all the pr/media campaign the stage, sound, lighting and projection equipment started to arrive from New York and south africa. The entire cast and crew from the Broadway show numbering over 72 people also arrived. Over my next posts i will upload pictures from behind the scenes. From this point i will let my pictures do the talking:

In my next post i will bring you back stage access. It gets better just before we concluded FELA! i got wind of the fact that i might work on another exciting project. The magnitude of this will blow your mind.

TONY® AWARD WINNING SENSATION FELA! MAKES HISTORIC ARRIVAL IN LAGOS, NIGERIA APRIL 20-29, 2011

The hit Broadway musical about the life and music of Nigerian performer and political activist Fela Anikulapo-Kuti is scheduled to be performed in his home town of Lagos, Nigeria making it the first Broadway show to be performed in Sub-Saharan Africa.

FELA!, the landmark Broadway musical, which won three Tony Awards (Broadway’s highest honor) including Best Choreography (Bill T. Jones), is coming to Lagos from April 20^th to 25^th.  It will be performed at the prestigious Eko Hotel’s New Expo Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria. This critically lauded musical will star its original Broadway cast with Sahr Ngaujah reprising his Tony-nominated role of Fela Kuti with music provided by the internationally renowned Antibalas as well as other members of the New York City Afro-beat community. 

Concurrently with the Broadway production, FELA! opened and triumphed at London’s Royal National Theater for a three-month sold-out run.  That production was nominated for three Olivier Awards, London theatre’s highest honor, including Best Musical, Best Actor (Sahr Ngaujah) and Best Choreography (Bill T. Jones). This Nigerian engagement will be the first since the closing of the Broadway and London productions and the NTLive performance which was broadcast to in 370 cinemas worldwide.

The aim of FELA! in Lagos is to unite and connect Africans in spirit and unity, to serve as a catalyst for cultural revival in Nigeria, and to celebrate Fela Kuti, for the contribution he has made to Nigeria and the world. FELA! depicts the true story of the legendary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, whose soulful Afro beat rhythms ignited the spirit of empowerment and cultural awareness in a generation.  It is a tale of courage, passion and love featuring Kuti’s captivating music and the visionary direction and choreography of Tony Award winner, Bill T. Jones. FELA! in Lagos is being produced by a Nigerian production company, Broken Shackles in conjunction with Lagos State Government.

Upon its Broadway opening Ben Brantley of The New York Times wrote, “There should be dancing in the streets.  The hot (and seriously cool) energy that comes from the musical gospel preached by the title character of Fela! feels as if it could stretch easily to the borders of Manhattan and then across a river or two.  There has never been anything on Broadway like this production."  The New York Post’s Elisabeth Vincentelli cheered, “There’s enough energy to short circuit Con Ed.”  David Cote of Time Out New York, in giving it 5 stars (out of 5) raved, “Fela! is more than a musical; it’s an ecstatic phenomenon."  And Jennifer Farrar from the Associated Press exclaimed, “An exuberant celebration!”

The English critics were equally effusive after the London premiere of FELA! One critic, Baz Bamigboye of The Daily Mail, summed up the critical sentiment with his review saying FELA! is a “groundbreaking show that shook Broadway and London’s Royal National Theatre to the rafters. Getting Brits to get on their feet and ‘get loose’ as Bill T. Jones puts it, was a rare feat.  FELA! pulled it off by sheer exuberance and theatrical showmanship. At the same time, FELA! explored the soul of an artist and the darkness of a government that tried to block what Fela’s beam exposed.”   

In addition to rave reviews from critics, FELA! has also won numerous awards and received standing ovations from such personalities as Mick Jagger, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Spike Lee, Ben Okri, Janet Jackson, Denzel Washington, Professor Wole Soyinka, Robert De Niro, and Hugh Jackman.  First lady Michelle Obama, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and President Obama’s Head of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano are but three of the dignitaries who have embraced this show.    

Bill T. Jones, director and choreographer of FELA!, was recently honored with the prestigious Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts award along with Sir Paul McCartney and Oprah Winfrey. The Kennedy Center Honors are awarded annually for exemplary lifetime achievement in the performing arts. FELA! also won two Astaire Awards for its cast and choreography.

FELA! on Broadway was conceived by Bill T. Jones, Jim Lewis and Stephen Hendel. Its producers include the entertainment legends Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Will & Jada Pinkett Smith. 

A spokeswoman for Broken Shackles suggests that “with a series of media partners and sponsorships, FELA! in Lagos will be the most talked about show in Nigeria for years to come. We have created sponsorship, branding and advertising opportunities for those who wish to be a part of this historic theatrical event.”

For sponsorship, advertising opportunities, please email sponsorship@felainlagos.com

For more information on FELA! please visit http://www.felainlagos.com

For all press and public relations matters please email pr@felainlagos.com

 For more information on ticketing and group sales please email tickets@felainlagos.com