THEATRE FOR VALENTINE’S BESTIES

                                      Nick Kwach, Makrine Andala and Paul Ogola in Kenyan Forbidden Fruit

By Margaretta wa Gacheru (6 February 2019)

There will be lots of live performances over the next week as sweethearts will be rehearsing what to say and do for their ‘besties’ on Valentine’s Day, which lands on a Thursday next week.

Fortunately, local thespians have also risen to the occasion and are preparing productions, some especially in light of the love connection with V-Day. Others will simply provide excellent date nights for romantic rendezvous (or just for fun).

The show that’s bound to be a crowd please is Heartstrings Entertainment’s ‘Kenyan Forbidden Fruits’. Again, it’s got a title that doesn’t tell you much about what the story is about. But as it’s an ensemble production that’s been devised by the company collectively, the show’s assured of being fun but fluid. You have to get to Alliance Francaise from tonight through Sunday to find out for yourself.

The two shows that are definitely attuned to the Valentine’s Day theme are Millez Production of ‘Opiyo and Juliet’ by Xavier Nato and Hearts of Art’s ‘Careless in Love’ by Walter Sitati.

‘Opiyo and Juliet’ returns to the National Theatre stage on Valentine’s Day and is being restaged as much due to popular demand as for its being a Shakespearean-styled love story adapted to the Kenyan cultural scene.

Starring Ken Aswani and Agnes Fulky as the two lovers who come from separate communities that have an adversarial history, the production is again being directed by Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala who has to be the only man or woman in the whole Kenya government prepared to give his time, effort and passion to support our Kenyan theatre.

‘Careless in Red’ is directed by the Gilbert Lukalia, one of Kenya’s finest directors. It’s only on at Kenya National Theatre tomorrow and Sunday, so make sure to book right away.

The show stars Paulyn Kyalo and Mufasa the Poet who’s likely to inject a bit of rap or spoken word poetry into this newest script by Sitati who’s a master at mixing humor and serious stuff.

                                                     Paulyne Kyalo (R) stars in Hearts of Art's 'Careless in Red'

Finally, next Saturday, 16 February, the improv’ team who bill themselves as ‘Because you said so’ will perform at The Junction from 4pm to 11. The comedic team (who work without script or rehearsal) include Jason Runo (who founded the group), June Gachui (who’s also a lawyer and singer-actor/MC), Mugambi Nthega (actor-scriptwriter Supa Modo and Nairobi Half-Life), Patricia Kihoro (actor-singer-radio anchor), Kevin Maina, Yafesi Musoke and Justin Karunguru.