There is nothing more soothing and relaxing than being treated to an exceptional theatre play from the camp of playwright extraordinaire, James Ebo Whyte, after a hard day’s work.
Roverman Productions, well acclaimed for their time consciousness and incredible story lines, premiered their 33rd theatre production on March 27, 2017 at the National Theatre, Accra. As communicated via their radio and television ads; the gates were indeed opened at exactly 5:30pm followed by the play which started at exactly 6:30pm. Majority of the guests were already seated before the said time and soon, the curtains were wide open to set the night in motion.
The blackmail, is a short play which sought to bring to the light the struggles most men of God go through. According to Uncle Ebo Whyte, “most people seem to ignore the fact that, before our Prophets and pastors were anointed or were given the mandate to represent God on earth, they were just ordinary humans composed of flesh, blood and a heap of erotic desires.” The play highlighted the need to support, understand and appreciate the existence of the humans we tag as ‘men of God’
The incredible lights, under the care of Henry Martey, were lit to display the beautiful and well-crafted stage, revealing an amazing ensemble of actors. Rev. Elisha, played by Andrew Adote, walked onto the neatly designed and arranged set which represented his office at his church premises, International Faith Is Sure House (IFISH), was as always in his elements and brought absolutely nothing but life to his character. Then Came Gifty ‘Mama Gee’, the wife of Rev Elisha (played by Viva Adeko), a famous and successful actress who ended up marrying a much older man to the utter dismay of her numerous fans especially, Inspector Baako (played by Atta Gyimah Fenning). Rev. Tawiah, aka the swindler/blackmailer, (played by Afome Danquah) unraveled the drama in the play and stirred up the atmosphere with a mixture of emotions. Rev. Elisha’s secretary, Abba (played by Elsie Attieku-Nuku) nailed her role to absolute perfection which earned her a place in the heart of the audience; her endless gibberish talks coupled with her great African body made her the character to look out for.
James Ebo Whyte indeed outdid himself by selecting the perfect cast not only with incredible acting skills but surprisingly with exceptional singing voices; with specific reference to Winnie the publisher (played by Animwaa Anim-Addo) who literally got the audience singing along with her.
Other Characters include; Mama Gee’s Brother/ Abba’s crush, John (played by Nana Kofi A. Sunu) and Rocky, the husband of Winnie the publisher (played by Vandyke Stuff).
In spite of the Microphone/technical hitches and the dragged/prolonged scene of Inspector Baako (which nearly bored myself and majority of the audience), It would be fair to conclude that Roverman Production’s ‘Blackmail’ was perfectly delivered. Joseph Appiah, the musical director for the night, did an incredible job by carefully selecting the best songs which set the right mood for every scene.
The ‘Blackmail’ comes to the general public again at the National Theatre this Easter! Spice up your celebrations with the right dose of theater arts from the Roverman Camp.
Credit: Nana Yaa Asabea