Attn NYC: If you love music, you must…
…see this play.
FELA! is an astounding work of magic that brings together the Tony winning choreography and now playwright Bill T. Jones, the incredible Afrobeat masters Antibalas and an ensemble cast of top talent that as a whole raise the bar far beyond anything I could have imagined.
Musicals are NOT my thing. Really not. That said, anything that involves Afrobeat (a concoction created by Fela Kuti, comprised of African rhythms, American funk and soul and a political heart) will surely get my ear, so last week I bought two of the last remaining tickets for Saturday night’s performance.
The 37 Arts Theater is smallish in size, which lends an intimacy to the wildly colorful, up front visuals. The music, which is at the core, drives throughout and leads the storyline, which chronicles the struggles, triumphs and talent of Fela Kuti, the man, who brought Afrobeat to the world. There’s no detail missing and all cylinders are firing perfectly, from the impactful lighting to the arresting visuals to the kinetic energy to the hot, horn-driven grooves, it will work you over, in a good way.
So, get to it! Get thee to NYC by any means necessary and see it ASAP.
