Over a week after it opened, the Thespian Family Theatre led by producer Ayo Jaiyesinmi is still staging Bode Sowande’s popular play, ‘Mammy Water’s Wedding’ at the Kona Hub, Lekki, Lagos.
Lovers of theatre have been watching the performance since it opened on December 18, with many of them commending the producer for bringing out the full potential of the work.
In line with requests to extend the run, ‘Mammy Water’s Wedding’ will be on stage on December 27 and 28, at 7 pm each day. The play, which exudes intrigues, songs, dance and suspense, is an interplay between forces of the earth and the sky, in a way that addresses pollution, and other issues relating to climate change.
Thespian Family Theatre, which had produced acclaimed plays like ‘Itan’ and ‘Five Maids of Fadaka’, is partnering the Go Forte Foundation, founded by an environmentalist, Arc. Gbenga Onabanjo, on the project. The foundation is the initiator of Make Over Lagos Day (MOLD).
In ‘Mammy Water’s Wedding’, young Akinla drowns while trying to rescue others, but is saved by Tarrela, the mermaid queen. He wakes up in a world below the sea. Both fall in love and vow to get married on earth, but Tarrela must be born as an earthling for this to happen. Tarella is later born as Okuntoro, to a rich businessman, Adagunodo, whose trade is waste dumping into the sea, causing environmental pollution and upsetting the natural harmony between earth and water. Adagunodo suddenly becomes blind.
What caused this? Will he regain his sight? Will Akinla ever find Tarella? Would there be a healing in the bond between the earth and the sea? These are the questions intriguingly answered in the play laden with suspense, songs, dance and humour.
According to Jaiyesinmi, it is a play inspiring enough for the Christmas and end of the season fun, just as it is a brilliant tale of “green balance” and social advocacy for environmental protection.
She adds that it creates awareness of the need to be friendly with the environment. She notes that she is happy to partner MOLD, which works tenaciously to save nature from human excesses and stupidity.
“As we pondered what community conversation we should paint visual pictures about, Arc Gbenga Onabanjo, Founder, Go Forte Foundation, shared his pet project, MOLD – Make Over Lagos Day. His passion for the environment and structures were contagious! So, we’ve done a bit of digging into the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Goals are 17 interlinked global ones, designed to be a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all,” Jaiyesinmi says.
The SDGs were set up in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly and are intended to be achieved by the year 2030.
“That’s it! We decided to stage Bode Sowande’s Mammy Water’s Wedding, an awesome play that enmeshes conversations on environmental issues, culture and entertainment. This is an awesome work of fiction.”
