Will Fela! Revolutionize Broadway?
BROADWAY MAGAZINE- Ready or not, here he comes. Tonight Broadway celebrates the opening of the new musical Fela! The musical tells the story of Nigerian artist Fela Kuti. Both as an artist and a political figure, Fela Kuti was a revolutionary. Controversial, confrontational, and immensely talented, Fela Kuti is hardly a well-known name to Broadway fans. However, there is considerable buzz about the production Fela! following the Off Broadway run last year, and clearly the enthusiasm has not dimmed.
Artists like Paul McCartney and James Brown praised the music of Fela Kuti during his lifetime and cited his influence, and it could well be that Broadway will usher in an even larger audience for the dynamic Afrobeat sound and the political message of Kuti which fought against corruption and for the disenfranchised. Will Broadway be ready for Fela!? We’ll find out what the critics think tonight.
Follow us on Twitter as the story unfolds. Happy Opening Fela!
