‘FELA,” Bill T. Jones‘ rousing and irre sistible musical about Nigerian po litical activist and Afrobeat creator Fela Kuti, is coming to Broadway.
The show, which had critics practically dancing in the aisles last September at the off-Broadway theater 37 Arts, will open at the Eugene O’Neill in October.
Investors in the $11 million production are likely to include Alicia Keys, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, all of whom are big fans of the show.
I hear Will Smith and possibly Denzel Washington may get in as well, although I haven’t seen their checks yet.
Sahr Ngaujah, who was electrifying in the title role, will lead a young and gorgeous cast of dancers from around the world in the Broadway production.
Ngaujah was nominated for a Drama Desk Award last month. A year from now, he’s going to be the man to beat for the Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical.
“Fela” came out of nowhere last summer. There was barely any buzz surrounding rehearsals in June, largely because what passes for Afrobeat in Broadway circles is the score to “The Wiz.”
The excitement began once the show started previews at 37 Arts. Young crowds flocked to the theater. Questlove, the drummer and record producer, was an early fan. He urged his friend Jay-Z to see the show, and by the time the raves came out in September, all the old dudes who run Broadway were sporting Louis Vuitton sunglasses and listening to “The Best Best of Fela Kuti” on their eight-tracks.
It looked as if “Fela” was going to transfer to Broadway right away, but then the recession hit and everything was put on hold. There was talk the show would either go to London or play theater festivals in Europe (never to be heard from again). But in the end, lead producer Steve Hendel, who also co-wrote the script, decided Broadway was still the best launching pad for a new musical.
Hendel and Jones, who won a Tony for choreographing “Spring Awakening,” are going to take one more pass at the show before beginning previews in September. They’ll tighten the script, which some critics thought was a little overstuffed, and probably shorten or cut a couple of production numbers.
“If they can take 20 minutes out of it, they’ll be in good shape,” says a production source. “Shorter is always better.”
On the financial front, the bean counters are whittling down the weekly overhead so that the $11 million production cost isn’t quite so daunting.
Actually, compared to Julie Taymor‘s $40 million “Spider-Man,” “Fela” is a bargain.
And there’s one thing we know about “Fela” that we don’t, as yet, know about “Spider-Man”: It’s really good.
IN Wednesday’s column, I wrote that if Neil LaBute wins the Tony next month for “reasons to be pretty,” he’ll have to troop up on stage at Radio City Musical Hall with at least 20 of his producers. He’ll have, I added, about 20 seconds to speak before the orchestra cuts him off.
“Your report painted such a scary picture of the Tonys that I think I might just stay home and watch them on television,” LaBute responded in an e-mail. “Sounds a lot safer — and no fighting at the podium for a chance to speak in my oversized tuxedo. Plus, I’m terrible at brave faces and would have to do that ‘grimace and clap’ thing if someone else wins.”
If someone else does win — i.e., Yasmina Reza for “God of Carnage” — she won’t have to fight quite so hard for space at the podium.
There are only eight producers above the title of her play.