Smash Nigerian musical ready to wow London

Love, power, money and thwarted dreams - all set to an Afrobeat. Those are the essential ingredients of Wakaa! The Musical, a Nigerian stage production set to hit London later this month.

A runaway success in Lagos last year, the musical follows the fate of a group of young graduates who strike a wager before setting out on their chosen paths in life.

Now, after winning rave reviews at home, the production is set to transfer to the London stage.

Through its four characters - Kike, Tosan, Ngozi and Rex - London audiences will get a taste of life as lived by young Nigerians today.

From the idealism of a young doctor and a political mover and shaker to the get-rich-quick dreams of a sunny-natured dancer and the gilded existence of a rich businessman's daughter, Wakaa explores their trials and successes, all with a healthy dose of political satire thrown in.

For Kike, the spoiled and overindulged daughter of a wealthy Nigerian, life is one long holiday.

She sees herself as First Lady one day, but in the meantime she wants to focus on her favorite activities - shopping and luxury travel.

Tosan, who falls in love with Kike, could not be more different. A radical revolutionary, he dreams of a better Nigeria for the common man and works hard to try to make a difference.

But politics can be a murky business in Nigeria, one of the world's most corrupt countries, and everything is not always what it seems, as Tosan soon discovers to his cost.

Ngozi is another idealist. A doctor who returns to her village to give something back to the community. After years of studying, she is determined to use her education to help stop child trafficking and child labor.

Then there is Rex, the happy-go-lucky dancer set on making his fortune, and making it fast. He knows what poverty is like and wants nothing more to do with it.

Writer and producer Bolanle Austen-Peters describes Wakaa as the story of "a young guy who wants to leave Nigeria to live the fast life in London, but then he discovers (the) grass is not always greener elsewhere"..

(China Daily USA 07/07/2016 page7)