GBENGA ADENIJI writes that the performance of the cast and crew of Look Back in Gratitude, a play staged at the University of Lagos last Friday, further inspires the playwright, Bose Ademilua-Afolayan
Though they are first year students of English, Creative Arts and Education departments of the University of Lagos, the ingenuity they showed last Friday when they staged Look Back in Gratitude, written by Bosede Ademilua-Afolayan, was impressive.
The performance, which was part of a Theatre Workshop course, indicated that those who performed the play – including those who handled the chorus, drums, props, make-up, set design, costumes and lighting – went through intense rehearsals.
When one considers that some of the characters may be acting for the first time, it will not be hard for an appreciative member of the audience to give them kudos. The quality of the production was heartwarming and commendable for a work which echoes the thematic structure of a classic work.
A critic may however look beyond the applause which enveloped the venue – main auditorium of the university. For instance, such critic may ask questions pertaining to voice projection, stage backing, scene elongation and role interpretation on the part of one or two dramatists. But the promising dramatic stunts pulled by the majority of the up and coming thespians were warm.
Ademilua-Afolayan (PhD), who teaches at the English Department of UNILAG, explains that the play is an inter-textual debate with John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger.
She says after reading the play for her PhD in 2010, in her thesis, she explored the place of anger in British drama of 1956 and beyond.
The lecturer adds, “I was (and still am) particularly interested in the disenchantment and disillusionment shown by the lead character in the play. He is an angry man, frustrated by an establishment that has nothing to offer him. Unfortunately, his upper class wife represents the easy and ready target for his anger and vituperations. I saw many loopholes in this play and was motivated to rewrite it and bring it to our own (Nigerian) setting where the young man, a First Class graduate from a humble background is faced with much frustration.’’
According to her, the lead character is beleaguered with unemployment and cannot feed his family whereas in Look Back in Anger, his wife is the daughter of a university professor brought up in affluence and in ideal circumstances.
Ademilua-Afolayan says, ‘‘The young woman becomes the target of his verbal and psychological abuse. Despite all the abuses, she tries to hold on to the love that brought them together, and at last, they find love. Look Back in Anger depicted socio-economic problems prevalent in the British society at that time: housing issues, unemployment, divorce, betrayal and so on. Look Back in Gratitude equally depicts many of these problems, but unlike Look Back in Anger, there is hope at the end. The socio-economic problems are woven around marriage such that JagunlabiFijabi is an example of a poor young man who is able to acquire education but remains unemployed nevertheless.’’
Noting that the lead character in her work insults everyone – his friend, wife, parents-in-law, the society and the government, Ademilua-Afolayan adds that despite his anger, he still cares as shown at the end of the play when he melts on the altar of his wife’s love.
She also expresses happiness over the impressive turnout and the participation of the audience. According to the lecturer, the way they booed, applauded, laughed and made jibes at the cast, confirmed the brilliance of the production.
She further adds that what was shown on stage was the work of the director, Lekan Balogun, who she describes as a genius. ‘‘He was able to interpret the play and transform it from the words on the pages of the manuscript to the raw energy that was seen on stage. He and the first year students of the English, Creative Arts and Education departments of the UNILAG gave the play life. It is near impossible to believe that the vibrant performance that was witnessed on stage was from amateur actors.’’
