Last Sunday, at about 15:20 pm, when the first show of the day for Fela and the Kalakuta Queens musical started, the anticipation was very high for the high-profile audience.
As the musical rolled on, its renewed energy and heightened excitement enveloped Terra Kulture Arena, the home of the stage play.
An energetic performance introduced Olufela Anikulapo Kuti, followed by his queens in adorable white costumes, stunning the audience and setting the mood for the lovely late afternoon.
From then on, it was more excitement on live theatre staged at Terra Kulture Areana as Laitan Adeniji, who played Fela, led a strong ensemble cast, alongside Osas Ighodaro, Yewande Osamein, Bunmi Olunloyo, Sharon Adaeze, Inna Erinze, Linda Nwanneka, Josephine Ewuru, among others, to deliver on the critically acclaimed musical produced and directed by Bolanle Austen-Peters and co-produced by Joseph Umoibom.
From castigating the colonial masters for copying the best of Africa, repackaging and bringing them back, to describing their democracy as ‘demonstration of craze’, and exposure of corruption in government, and injustice, amid music, Fela was in his element on the stage that afternoon.
The scene shortly flipped to Fela’s household with the queens queuing on a Monday morning to collect their allowances.
The excitement heightened when Malaika emerged from foreign land to meet Fela, who she described as her idol, the resistance by other queens, battle for acceptance, her persistence to woo Fela to her side against all odds, among others, offered a bouquet of excitement.
A scene where the Police invaded the shrine, discovered Marijuana and consequently arrested Fela, led to one of Fela’s popular songs ‘Zombie’, which most of the audience sang alongside the band. The song mocks the total obedience of Nigerian security agencies even in carrying out wrong directions.
It was on his return from police custody that Fela renamed his shrine Kalakuta Republic, saying that the place he was confined was called Kalakuta.
It was then the band performed ‘Beasts Of No Nation’, reflecting on Fela’s ugly experience in the prison and ‘Lady’, another popular song.
But the queens also shared their stories and love for Fela; how they jumped fences to escape police custody, while one shared how she kept returning back after several attempts by her parents to keep her at home, among others.
Read also: Afrobeat Rebellion: Fela Kuti’s legacy reborn
The queen from Ghana recalled how she met Fela, the love she found in Kalakuta, which has become home for her and all others. All these were amid music and dance in a live theatre and that was the excitement for the audience.
For some of the audience, the highlight was the invasion and burning of Kalakuta, while for others, it was the invasion of Decca Records office by Fela and his queens, demanding for the money owed their band, which saw the band performing ‘No Agreement Today, No Agreement Tomorrow’. But marrying all the 27 women and making them his queens was the climax for many as that ended the fear expressed by some of the women who were called prostitutes, and whose parents and the society have rejected for following Fela.
The first show of the day ended at 5:50pm with the beautiful performance of ‘Water No Get Enemy’, with Fela insisting that just like water, his queens and him ‘no get enemy’, leaving the audience enthralled.
However, it would be recalled that when Fela and the Kalakuta Queens first staged in December 2017, it more than enthralled the high-profile audience at Terra Kulture Arena Lagos, its debut venue.
From the diplomatic community, business and corporate circles and to families and individuals that graced the premiere, there were more than enough testimonies of live theatre, beautiful storyline and on-the-spot music to share.
“Fela and the Kalakuta Queens is an African musical revelation,” one said. “I saw Fela through the women’s lens,” another said. “This is a musical masterpiece with a twist,” many insisted.
Truly, since its debut, the musical has captivated the audience home and abroad with performances in Pretoria, South Africa; Cairo, Egypt; and Dubai, UAE, further cementing its international appeal.
But the intrigue of the musical is that it is evergreen; it keeps heightening excitement for the audience anytime it stages. Some even watched the same musical twice during the festive season and had different levels of excitement and no boring moments.
The above explained why the critically acclaimed stage production delivered back-to-back sold-out performances in Lagos during the 2025/2026 festive season.
The figures say it all. For the 22 days it was staged (December 26 and 30, 2025, and January 1 to 4 and 10 to 11, 2026), Fela and the Kalakuta Queens attracted over 10,000 audience members, reaffirming its position as one of Nigeria’s most commercially successful and culturally significant stage productions.
The figure is aside from the significant milestone the production recorded in October 2025 with an exceptional command performance staged as part of the official reopening of the National Arts Theatre, Lagos, now renamed the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, in commemoration of Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary.
Again, the quality of the audiences at the festive show spoke volumes on the masterpiece production the musical has become. They include diplomats, most notably the Consul Generals of the USA, the British Deputy High Commission, and South Africa, Nigerian and international celebrities, high-net-worth individuals, families, theatre enthusiasts, and tourists. As well, guests on the red carpet offered strong reviews, commending the production’s artistic excellence, storytelling depth, musical direction, and cultural relevance.
Meanwhile, credit goes to Bolanle Austen-Peters Productions for another theatrical success of its critically acclaimed stage production, Bolanle Austen-Peters, the producer and director and her team for the superb production, as well as the cast members who individually and collectively brought their ‘A game’ in delivering the storyline, performances, dances and accompanying music to the excitement of the audience.
But what is the story?
Fela and the Klakuta Queens explores the life, music, and activism of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the late Afrobeat pioneer, while placing strong emphasis on the women of the Kalakuta Republic, whose stories are rarely told.
The musical presents a vivid portrayal of post-independence Africa, addressing themes such as corruption, abuse of power, underdevelopment, and the complex relationships between African nations and their former colonial powers. Through Fela’s music and philosophy, the production highlights issues that remain relevant in contemporary Nigeria and across the continent.
At the centre of the story is the relationship between Fela and the women who lived in the Kalakuta Republic, examining gender, power, identity, and resistance. The production celebrates their contributions through dance, fashion, and music, while challenging stereotypes often associated with their lives.
But with the wrap of the record-breaking 2025/2026 festive season of the show, Bolanle Austen-Peters, producer and director of the musical, appreciated the audience for a strong turnout and critical reception and sponsors such as Amstel Malta and Access Bank for making it possible to stage it once again.
She is promising a renewed energy and richer theatrical experience, the next time Fela and the Kalakuta Queens will stage.
