BAP’s ‘Fela & the Kalakuta Queens’ musical thrills audience as National Theatre roars back to life

By Benjamin Njoku

The National Arts Theatre successful Iganmu, Lagos roared backmost to beingness connected Monday October 1, 2025 aft a fewer years of renovation and refurbishment. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, unneurotic with his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, led a affluent array of dignitaries from the government, firm assemblage and the originative industries to unveil the new-look premier location of the arts arsenic a symbolic juncture to besides observe Nigeria’s 65th independency anniversary.

The magnificent edifice and taste institutions has present been rechristened by the Federal Government the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts arsenic a fitting tribute to the respected Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, whose literate and theatrical publication to the improvement of theatre, lit and movie is immeasurable. The three-hour unveiling lawsuit was laced with affluent acceptable of performances, of which the bid show of the fashionable musical, ‘Fela And The Kalakuta Queens’ stood out, thrilling the assemblage with its stellar cast, large acting, and spectacular creation routine, each laced with a fewer evergreen songs by the legendary King of Afrobeat music, the precocious Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.

Although it was a teaser showpiece that lasted for conscionable fractional an hour, the show added unmistakable colour to the unveiling event, particularly fixed that it came conscionable earlier the speeches by the Central Bank Governor, Mr. Yemi Cardoso and President Bola Tinubu.

Directed by the aggregate award-winning theatre and movie director, Bolanle Austen- Peters, “Fela and the Kalakuta Queens” chronicles the beingness and times of the precocious legendary musician, Fela Anikulapo- Kuti, from commencement to his trajectory arsenic a defiant and uncompromising societal activist, a flamboyant philharmonic maestro arsenic good arsenic his historical matrimony to his 27 wives (known arsenic the Queens).

“The communicative of Fela and his Kalakuta Queens is arsenic compelling, arsenic it is profoundly moving and emotionally engaging, and we are blessed that it was selected arsenic portion of the performances to bring backmost to beingness the famed National Arts Theatre,” said Mrs Austen-Peters.

The play travels done the honorable and selfless emotion the Afrobeat icon had with his dancers (Queens) who near their homes to travel him, believing successful his imaginativeness of gathering a amended assemblage done arts and music. The Musical besides explores the lives of those women who constituted an integral portion of Fela’s set and gives a unsocial penetration into the interplay of sex and powerfulness relations astatine Fela’s celebrated Kalakuta Republic. It besides showcases their unsocial fashion, creation and African identity, portion unmasking communal misconceptions astir them.

In his remarks, Dr. Cardoso said it was a “huge one” to beryllium delivering his code close aft the show of ‘Fela and the Kalakuta Queens”, fixed the vigor it oozed and the applause it received. President Bola Tinubu besides commended the evening’s affluent performances, adding unequivocally that “I’m impressed and I’ve enjoyed myself.”

The historical unveiling of the refurbished theatre is not mislaid connected Austen-Peters, who is the laminitis of Bolanle Austen-Peters Productions (BAP), which produced the philharmonic and Terra Kulture Arena successful Lagos. “It is simply a historical time for each of america successful the originative sector, to person been selected for this landmark unveiling, connected a time that Nigeria clocks 65, portion having successful the assemblage the No1, No 3 and Number 4 citizens of the country, among respective different dignitaries. All the performances added colour and glamour to this event. This is simply a wide connection that the originative assemblage has been blessed with different sets of world-class venues that volition heighten creativity. We are grateful that ‘Fela and the Kalakuta Queens was portion of those that successfully relaunched this main auditorium into the hearts of Nigerians,” she said.

Following a palmy premiere successful Lagos successful 2017, Fela and The Kalakuta Queens Musical has, without a doubt, go a sensation crossed the globe, having been performed successful Pretoria, South Africa; Cairo, Egypt and Dubai, UAE. “It is, therefore, a befitting play to reopen the recently renovated and restored National Arts Theatre”, said Joseph Umoibon, Producer of the musical.

“Fela and the Kalakuta Queens” volition again deed the large signifier of the Terra Kulture Arena from December 26th 2025 to Jan 12th 2026 arsenic portion of the ‘Detty D...