David Mulwa
wrote ‘Redemption’ for NCCK back in 1989. We haven’t seen it staged since,
until last week at Kenya Cultural Centre when Kenyatta University students
performed a version of it under the direction of Dr Emmanuel Shikuku.
By honoring
one of Kenya’s greatest playwright in this way, Shikuku and his lively cast
were also paying tribute to one of the country’s greatest actors and KU
professors.
The play
itself was considered quite radical at the time as Mulwa dared to expose the
corruption, contradictions and petty conflicts afflicting the church. And while
the institution doesn’t play as dominant a social role as it did back then, the
story itself is beautifully crafted. It revolves around three church leaders,
one the old ‘fire-and-brimstone’ model (Mark Maina) who’s being cast aside for
a younger, more empathetic model, Martin (Carl Gordon Mbaje) and the third a
cunny conman, Archbishop (AB) Muthemba (Brian Otieno) who’s built his church
with foreign funding and deceit.
The two
older clerics have offspring whose Romeo-Juliet styled courting gets soured by
the Archbishop’s son taking advantage of the innocent Rebecca (Annita Nabakka).
The irony is that the AB also impregnated a young woman, Millicent who was
innocent and already engaged to a good man, Kitaka (Dancan Jalang’a) who turned
into the town drunk, once his girl ends up marrying the con.
To
complicate matters more, AB is busy swindling land from his flock, including
Kitaka who’s persuaded by Pastor Martin not to sell it. Coincidentally, because he’s treated
compassionately by Martin, Kitaka sobers up and the tide turns. AB gets nabbed
for larceny, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ make up and even Millie and Kitaka’s future
looks promising.
It’s a
brilliant drama, but there were a few flaws in its execution. For one, the story
should have been cut as it ran over three hours. The opening scene could have
been slashed, also the melodrama of Rebecca’s dad whose self-pity was too much.
But what probably should have been either omitted altogether or reduced were
the dance numbers. For however nimble, enthusiastic and well-choreographed were
the dancers, they interrupted the dramatic tension and seemed to work at
cross-purposes with the storyline.
There was no
shortage of excellent acting, however, especially the Archbishop, Kitaka, Rebecca
and others. Also, the dancing was beautiful but it wasn’t integral to the story
which was powerful enough to stand on its own as a morality play.
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