By Evelyn Osagie
A new musical play, Beautiful Wilderness The Musical, an adaptation of the novel A Beautiful Wilderness written by Dupe Olorunjo, will mount the Agip Recital Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan Lagos stage from February 14 to 16.
It is produced and directed by Gbenga Yusuf. The musical will spice up the Valentine day celebration in Lagos.
The musical will set the stage for mesmerizing scenes, relatable narratives and gripping twists and turns. “What is real and what is not is left for the audience to decide”, the producers said. Seasoned with free-flowing poetry, riveting dances and enchanting music, Beautiful Wilderness is a must-see stage splendour.
The plot revolves around the stereotypically successful business tycoon that is Keanu Omira (played by Patrick Diabuah). Omira is an easily recognisable boss-man by any working class subject as he believes he has got the world in his pocket.
Being one who does not suffer fools lightly, he is truly bewildered when the rug is pulled from beneath his feet and he takes off on a journey into the unknown. In this 4D-nightmare-come-alive, he must make a choice; to either retrace his steps or be lost forever.
The musical play parades other top notch actors like Tosin Adeyemi, Omololu Sodiya, Aisha Onitiri, Eden Attah and many others.
Produced by Seeing Through the Arts Production Company, this family show speaks of humility and kindness as part of the best human virtues to possess.
It explores a different kind of love that gives freely but expects nothing in return. The Executive Producer of the musical play and author of the novel, A Beautiful Wilderness, believes that stories have the power to expose the reality of where we stand and help us envision where we should be. She also states that all positive stories birthed in our hearts deserve a telling.
“I have written four novels, all within the inspirational fiction genre, and my hope every day is that each one will continue to influence my audience to embrace life-changing possibilities, sometimes outside our normal reach.”
Talking about how she was inspired to write the novel, Olorunjo disclosed that it happened while she was trapped in Lagos traffic one morning.
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“I was sitting in the car, frustrated, when my eyes were drawn to a lame beggar. He must have just arrived and was unpacking his things including his begging bowl.
I watched him closely and realised …This was his entire life; he wasn’t concerned with the traffic, with issues in the corporate world, the stock market, Lagos gossip, celebrities, owning a car, designer clothes… nothing. Then I also understood that he didn’t choose that world. In fact, each one of us in a different life, a different family, a different environment could have easily been sitting in that beggar’s shoes.
The story of A Beautiful Wilderness from the beginning to the end was formed in my mind that morning”. I trust that our exposure to this story will help us appreciate all we are and all we have including our blessings and the love God has surrounded us with, Olorunjo, added.
Gbenga Yusuf is the creative director at Seeing Through the Arts Production Company. Recently, he produced and directed the Legends: the Musical and also produced and directed Red Velvet- Waje’s first album concert.
Yusuf is excited to be on the ‘Beautiful Wilderness’ project, not just because he is producing and directing it, but because it’s an amazing story of love and faith.
As Producer and Director, he said: “It is not a regular story and so our decision to stage Beautiful Wilderness during the Valentine period was intentional, because the musical play shows us a different kind of love.
It is the highest form of love…one that has depth. I will say this to you, no matter what your schedule looks like, make time for yourself, or your loved one or ones, as the case may be, to come and see this show. Do not miss the Beautiful Wilderness Musical.
“The musical play shows how crucial our decisions are and how they come to bear on our love life, relationships, businesses and also to us personally.
We follow the story up the corporate ladder, through the alleys of poverty, over the bumps of the marriage institution and finally to a point of self-reflection on our own life journey. It’s a family show which connects with different age groups and social classes and one we are quite proud of.” Yusuf said.
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