NIGERIA: A Nigerian theatre company stages "Rubiewe", an adaptation of the popular fairytale, Beauty and the Beast.

Record ID: 235698

  • Title: NIGERIA: A Nigerian theatre company stages "Rubiewe", an adaptation of the popular fairytale, Beauty and the Beast.
  • Date: 31st May 2012
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF ACTORS AND ACTING AND AUDIENCE WATCHING THE PLAY
  • Embargoed: 15th June 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVAAI0PNP130IEMP02BQD0A7TWT7
  • Story Text: Beauty and the Beast recently came to Lagos as a Nigerian adaptation titled "Rubiewe" to the delight of town's theatre enthusiasts. The Nigerian adaptation is the first African version of the famous French love tale.
    Performing Arts Workshop Studios (PAWS), the production company which staged the play fused dance, music and drama in this adaptation in a bid to reinvigorate the flagging Nigerian theatre industry.
    "There is a revival going on for theatre in Nigeria and we thought to bring whole theatre, wholesome theatre that has dance, music and drama together; we thought of doing something to also bring families together," said the director of the play Kenneth Uphoho.
    Beauty and the Beast is a folk fairy tale, which was first published in print by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in 1740. The tale has been notably adapted for screen, stage, prose, and television over the years.
    It tells a story of a merchant's daughter, Belle, who is held captive by a beast in his castle. The girl falls in love with her gentle captor thereby freeing him from a curse that had changed him into a hideous beast.
    The Nigerian adaptation emphasizes the theme of greed and the unequal power relations in allusion to Nigerian leaders who, according to the artists, often take advantage of ordinary people.
    Nigerian plays often focus on the country's social and political problems, such as corruption, military government and conflict in the Niger Delta. Recent examples include 'Fixer' by Lydia Adetunji (2011) or 'The Killing Swamp' by Odinoyi Ojo Onukaba (2010).
    Artists believe that the government could be doing more for the Arts. Currently, insufficient funding and lack of infrastructure are the major obstacles preventing Nigeria's theatre industry from growing beyond its present state.
    It is the spectators that have to bear the brunt of high production costs but when plays are as successful as 'Rubiewe' they do not mind.
    "It actually blew my mind, I didn't expect that it was going to be this nice; when I was coming with my friend, I was like ........ is it worth it, the price was actually a bit high, 5,000 naira (32 dollars) for a stage play but ...... if I was told to pay more, I would gladly do that," Teibo Lekan, an accountant commented after the play.
    In addition to 'Rubiewe', PAWS, which is one of the most active theatre production houses in Lagos, has recently also completed a run of plays which include Eyiyemi Rogbinyin's 'Oh, How Dearly I Detest Thee!' and Wole Soyinka's 'Child Internationale'.
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