rOcKS @ 'Fela!'
rOcKS @ 'Fela!'
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/13/04
rOcKS @ 'Fela!'#1
Posted: 1/20/10 at 9:29pm
I saw the show this afternoon, thanks to TDF, and was hoping that Sahr would be in as Fela but Kevin Mambo was in instead. I'll definitely be making a trip back to see Sahr.
I thought I was going to hate the show, if I'm being totally honest. I kept hearing comparisons to PASSING STRANGE, which I was not a fan of, and I was a bit reluctant to see it really. But I'm very glad I did...I had a very good time.
The show opens with Fela telling the audience that he is there for our enjoyment. And this show definitely delivers on the enjoyment and entertainment.
Some random, scattered thoughts:
-Loved what they did with the theater...brilliant. The lighting, costumes, and makeup are all stunning.
-Loved Lillias White, even though she doesn't have much to do. She brought the house down with her Act II number.
-Loved Kevin Mambo. He's giving an electric, stirring, honest performance and I can see why he and Sahr share the role. It's got to be one of the most draining roles ever written for the stage. Fela NEVER leaves the stage, if I'm correct, and is basically the only person with any spoken lines. Mambo did the role proud and if Sahr is even better than he is, which is what I've been hearing, then I can't wait to see his take on the role. Mambo was excellent though.
-Bill T. Jones has crafted an uncompromisingly original work...his choreography is completely revelatory, a word I don't throw around often. And his staging is fluid and beautiful.
-The first act is absolutely wonderful. I really loved the first act and couldn't wait for the second act but found the second act to be VERY mediocre, especially, in terms of the book. There are some moments (like --SPOILER-- the moment where they display the horror stories of the raping and pillaging that the people endured on the back wall --END SPOILER--) that are chilling and heartbreaking. But I found most of the excellence in the piece to exist in the first act.
-It reminded me of HAIR, in a way, the way it was structured. The first act involves lots of plot and exposition while the second act is much more abstract and free-flowing. And for me, the second act was just okay. But I think whether or not you'll enjoy the second act is a matter of personal taste.
-The band is one of the best I've ever heard on a Broadway stage.
So, with an incredibly talented cast, great music, inventive staging, a great look, and a mediocre book, I would have to say I had quite a good time at FELA this afternoon. FELA offers a good time and tons of fun as well as an engaging storyline, proving that new musicals CAN offer both to the audience.
I just wish the second act was as great as the first.
*** out of ****
Updated On: 1/20/10 at 09:29 PM
rOcKS @ 'Fela!'#2
Posted: 1/20/10 at 9:44pmI have always liked reading your posts about shows. Your review has me very curious about this show, especially since I had no real desire to see it.
Broadway Star Joined: 5/17/06
rOcKS @ 'Fela!'#2
Posted: 1/21/10 at 3:38am
rOcKs, Glad that you finally saw the show ! And enjoyed it ! 
Broadway Star Joined: 11/6/07
rOcKS @ 'Fela!'#3
Posted: 1/21/10 at 7:13amfirst time i am ever disagreeing with you.. i honestly hated the show, and saw Sahr.. i guess i gotta make a trip back becuase i just did not enjoy my time there at all
rOcKS @ 'Fela!'#4
Posted: 1/21/10 at 10:37amI saw Kevin Mambo and I just didn't enjoy the show. I doubt I'd like it with any other actor playing Fela, or any other cast or anything, the show itself was very underwhelming.
rOcKS @ 'Fela!'#5
Posted: 1/21/10 at 12:42pmThe more I read about this show, the more it sounds reminiscent of Sarafina than Passing Strange. I haven't seen it, but would anyone else agree with that comparison?
rOcKS @ 'Fela!'#6
Posted: 1/21/10 at 2:45pm
While your feeling you need to devote a new thread every time you have an opinion of a show is unnecessary ("What, isn't everyone beside themselves in anticipation to find out what glorious me thought of a show?"), yeah, FELA! is great.
Though anyone who makes a comparison to PASSING STRANGE is displaying tinges of racism, since the two shows have absolutely nothing in common besides having black casts.
I'd say the SARAFINA! comparison is apt, Mister Matt.
rOcKS @ 'Fela!'#7
Posted: 1/21/10 at 3:04pm
While your feeling you need to devote a new thread every time you have an opinion of a show is unnecessary ("What, isn't everyone beside themselves in anticipation to find out what glorious me thought of a show?"),
Rocks is far from the only person who does, and really it's not such a huge deal. Why not leave the moderating to the moderators?
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/13/04
rOcKS @ 'Fela!'#8
Posted: 1/21/10 at 3:12pm
Miracleelixer, ditto to what adamgreer said. And if you find my reviews annoying, don't read them. I post them for the people who care what I have to say and who enjoy reading them. If you don't that's wonderful. Ignore them.
Though anyone who makes a comparison to PASSING STRANGE is displaying tinges of racism, since the two shows have absolutely nothing in common besides having black casts.
That's just ridiculous. I saw similarities to PASSING STRANGE as did many others...are we all racist? So stupid.
rOcKS @ 'Fela!'#9
Posted: 1/21/10 at 3:41pm
There are so many people who create their own threads for reviews, relax. Some people might wanna read rOcKs' reviews but don't wanna scroll through a whole page to find it.
And I think the comparrison to Passing Strange is the alternative music and the way it was directed, very obscurely.
rOcKS @ 'Fela!'#10
Posted: 1/21/10 at 3:49pmThanks for the review. Glad you liked it. I'm definitely going to check this one out in March. Hopefully I'll see Sahr as Fela.
rOcKS @ 'Fela!'#11
Posted: 1/21/10 at 4:33pm
Is there any pressing reason, other than the fact that he originated the role off-Broadway, that people want to Sahr as opposed to Kevin Mambo? I haven't seen the show yet, so I'm wondering if there's a reason to see one over the other.
I assume since they're splitting the role, the "Billy Elliot Rule" will apply here, and both will be eligible for a joint Tony nomination.
rOcKS @ 'Fela!'#12
Posted: 1/21/10 at 5:12pm
Though anyone who makes a comparison to PASSING STRANGE is displaying tinges of racism, since the two shows have absolutely nothing in common besides having black casts.
Yeah, and the non-Broadway standard score, the energetic and unconventional choreography, the "concert that tells a story" format, with an electric emcee type running everything, and LOTS of audience interaction.
I guess we're all racists!
rOcKS @ 'Fela!'#13
Posted: 1/21/10 at 11:22pm
I also saw it as an interesting mix of Hair and Passing Strange, two shows I enjoyed, but unfortunately it didn't do it for me. Certainly the theater was overflowing with energy, and it was interesting to learn about a cultural leader I had not known much about before, but I found the storytelling method a little too scattered to be totally coherent (at least upon first viewing for someone going into the show cold). I was also very disappointed in the mother's voice, as the climactic song in the show felt thin and just not up to the quality of the other performers/performances. Maybe I just caught her on a bad day.
While it's certainly a forward way of selling the show and it packed the house, the novelty fell flat on me, and I wouldn't recommend it.
rOcKS @ 'Fela!'#14
Posted: 1/21/10 at 11:37pm
Is there any pressing reason, other than the fact that he originated the role off-Broadway, that people want to Sahr as opposed to Kevin Mambo? I haven't seen the show yet, so I'm wondering if there's a reason to see one over the other.
Personally I'm interested in seeing Sahr, because of the positive buzz from this board about his performance. Not saying that Mambo isn't good in the part. I'm sure both of them are equally talented, and based on Rock's review Mambo is just as good.
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