By Margaretta wa Gacheru (posted 4. 2.2024)
As the musical
theatre, Legacy was being staged in a church, (the International
Christian Centre), on Easter weekend, one could easily assume the show was
about the traditional Bible-based story that gets told and retold every year.
But no! The
story, scripted by JJ Jumbi, and directed by Gibson Ndaiga, had nothing to do
with restaging the story of Jesus Christ. It’s true that both stories are about
the power of Life over death. But Legacy comes even closer to home in
that its storyline relates to issues affecting the ICC family and friends. They
include issues like rebellious youth and domineering parents who may not understand
that they and their children live in two different spheres of consciousness and
culture.
That is
certainly true of Rahab (Amy Muthoni) and her parents, Pastor Eli (Sammy Waweru) and his wife, Prophetess Gladys
(Cynthia Nzuki). Rahab is an only child to the Christian couple who had tried
to have a child for many years until one day, Rahab arrived. Deemed a gift from
God, she was pampered from the day she was born. That led to her taking her
privileges for granted. She behaved like the prodigal son who walked away from
privilege in order to claim his freedom. Yet both characters find out the hard
way that they need to humble themselves to both their parents and to the Higher
Power that has saved them from getting lost forever.
In Rahab’s
case, the problem is also her parents. They believe they know exactly what
their daughter is meant to do and be. But she has other plans. She has no intention
of working within the narrow church boundaries with them, as they want her to
do. So, on the day they have a major falling out over their sharply different
perspectives, Rahab has already prepared to leave, although not on such volatile
terms. She planned to go out and first look for a place to share her
well-trained vocal and dancing skills. But once she and her mom practically go
fisticuffs* over her defiance, she gets her luggage and simply walks out on them.
Her trendy pants and crop top shirt shock them nearly as much as her talk-back
attitude toward her mom’s autocratic assertion that her daughter must do as she
says, no matter what. In a sense, the
mom leaves Rahab no alternative except for her to step out on her own, which
she does.
She is
fortunate to find instant success and stardom while dancing in a local lounge
with a team of fresh, funky dancers. A talent scout, Razmatazz (Luvai Mike)
sees her and senses that this ‘people’s choice’ of a star is someone to recruit.
Acting like a Casanova and independent talent scout, he goes in for the ‘kill’,
killing her softly with his promises of global travel and worldwide stardom.
The arrival of Faya Mama (Kerry Kagiri) transforms the electricity in the room,
making everything hot and slightly ominous. Rahab is still a ‘babe in the wood’
who doesn’t know how to deal with fast-talking moguls like the Faya Mama who
immediately signs her on a contract she never lets Rahab see, only sign.
Now made
over into RayBaby, Rahab tells her parents this is her new secular lifestyle,
and to protect them and their church from getting stigmatized as ‘sinners’’
because of her association with them, she promises to change her name so nobody
will know she is their daughter. It’s Raybaby who has got all of social media buzzing
about her beauty, musical, and dancing skills. She soaks up her new-found fandom
which turns out to be a fickle bunch who dump her overnight. It turns out that somebody
somewhere injected nasty notions of Raybaby onto the internet and the ugly
trending instantly spread like a cancer, infecting ever cell it touched as it
circled round the world wide web.
Rahab’s fate
might have been like the prodigal son’s wherein she returns home humbled and
contrite. But before that happens, she gets clobbered by thugs and nearly dies.
But ‘miraculously’, Ramatazz shows up like a good Samaritan (or a prince
charming). Either way, his heart has melted for her even as Rahab discovers he worked
for the Fire queen who sought to exploit young women like her. But never mind, Rahab
tells her parents. He’s the one who found her, took her to hospital, and thus
saved her life.
So by the
end of Legacy, one can appreciate how it’s ultimately a timely,
contemporary tale of redemption, renewal, and resurrection.
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