Fela! continues to make waves

Fela’s spirit could be felt in Nigeria in the last week, with his songs playing at protest grounds and his sons, Femi and Seun Kuti front lining the “OccupyNigeria” protests held against the fuel subsidy removal in Lagos.

Never has it been more obvious that the Nigerian Afro-beat legend lives on, and not only in Nigeria. Fela! The Musical continues to make waves around the world. The Broadway musical is currently touring the United States.

The show, which first opened at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre in 2009, has celebrities, Jay-Z, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith as producers.

In the months that the show has been on Broadway, it has reached hundreds of thousands of people, with celebrities constantly coming to view it. Michelle Obama, Harry Belafonte, Denzel Washington and Mick Jagger are amongst prominent personalities who have attended the show.

In that time, the show has also received 11 Tony nominations and 3 Tony Awards.

The sold-out show, which is currently showing at the Ahmason Theatre in Los Angeles, has had notable musicians, Stevie Wonder, Nas, Ziggy Marley and LL Cool J in attendance. Ziggy Marley, son of Reggae legend, Bob Marley, had dinner with the entire cast after one of the shows.

The show will be on at the Warner Theatre in Washington DC from January 26 to January 29, and the Detroit Music Hall from February 14 to March 4. From there, the crew will move on to Philadelphia, Chicago, and Houston amongst other places.

More information about the musical can be obtained at http://www.felaonbroadway.com/