THEATRE REVIEW: Storm in the City's star-studded cast delivers stellar performance
Hilarious couple Candice ( Liz Ngugi) and Philip ( Fish Muthamaki). PHOTO| KANYIRI WAHITO
What you need to know:
- The costumes, props, lighting and sound were timely and added the drama, spice and suspense.
- The stage, however, had an unnecessarily winding staircase, which meant that the actors who went up the steps had to go to the back of the stage first, which muffled their voices when they spoke or wasted precious seconds as they made their way either up or down.
The Festival of Creative Arts’ latest play is a thrilling, hilarious performance with a star-studded cast.
The plot revolves around a gunshot wound. You would have to watch the play to know where the bullet landed, but the actors do a spectacular job of trying to cover up the incident!
The first couple that comes for the 10-year anniversary party of the deputy governor and his wife, only to find that there has been a gun-shot, are Ken (Maina Olwenya) and Christine (Nice Githinji). They are at a loss for how to handle the scene and they rope in each successive guest into their web of lies. That is, until Corporal Tembo, ably played by comedian JB Masanduku, walks in….then all things go haywire!
JB Masanduku as Corporal Tembo. PHOTO| KANYIRI WAHITO
What follows is a side-splitting mix of mistaken identities, false alarms and drama: all ingredients of the perfect comedy-thriller.
GLARINGLY HYSTERICAL COUPLE
One noteworthy and glaringly hysterical couple is Philip (Fish Johnson Chege) – who is a familiar face in Kikuyu-language plays but from his performance is equally adept at English-language plays – and Candice (Liz Ngugi). The ‘sponsor vs. sponsored’ characters they play, Candice as the feisty, young flame of Philip, an aspiring politician, is a bold hilarious account of the kind of modern relationship that has been the talk of the town lately.
The other characters equally hold their own, with veteran actor Robert Agengo playing the role of Tom, a psychiatrist, and May Wairimu as Rachel, his wife, who runs a TV cooking show. Mwaura Bilal Ng'ang'a (Gymnasium) plays the role of the Accountant whose BMW is at the centre of the police inquest and his wife's role is played by the talented Valentine Wambui (Lorna).
The costumes, props, lighting and sound were timely and added the drama, spice and suspense.
The stage, however, had an unnecessarily winding staircase, which meant that the actors who went up the steps had to go to the back of the stage first, which muffled their voices when they spoke or wasted precious seconds as they made their way either up or down. The production team could definitely have handled this physical aspect better.
The play is directed by Martin Githinji and produced by Abuto Eliud, with Mbeki Mwalimu as the production manager.
The shows run from Friday to Sunday at the Alliance Françoise; Friday at 6 and 8pm; Saturday at 3, 6 and 8 pm; and Sunday at 3 and 6pm.
