Madmen
and Specialists is a dark satire by Wole Soyinka. Set in
the aftermath of the Nigerian Civil War, it tells the story of a man (Dr. Bero)
and his father (Old Man) who find themselves on opposing sides. The father, a physician
slash philosopher, following his experiences at war comes up with the idea that
humans should eat whatever they kill, including other humans. This stance,
really a stand against war, causes him to promulgate a ‘religion’ in worship of
‘ASS’. He recruits four men, old patients of his damaged in body and mind, as
ardent followers. His son Bero rises to a position of power in military
intelligence, and finds himself at odds with his father. He imprisons and
torments his father, seeking to know the true meaning of this ‘ASS’. Meanwhile,
Si Bero, Bero’s sister, who has been left to hold the fort in the supposed
absence of her father and brother, joins up with two elderly herbalists, Iya
Agba and Iya Mate, who teach her the art of the herbs on the condition that
Bero continues with the work when he returns from the war.
Things come to a head when Bero comes home, to
confront his father and to break it to Si Bero that no, he will not be
continuing the work. Things spiral out of control from here, culminating in
tragedy.
I struggled with whether or not to write a
‘review’ of this play: how could I – should I even – write a review of a play I
did not really understand. The producer had warned us in her opening remarks that we were in for something “weird”, but I had no
idea. I have not read Madmen and
Specialists, or really very much of Soyinka. A few minutes
into the play I understood the reason for the producer’s warning, but I cannot
say that it helped me much. I found this play quite confusing and felt off
balance for most of it. There were some laughs here and there – the scene where
the pastor visits Bero shortly after his return is particularly hilarious and would
be the high point of the play for me, only I did not know it then. The rest of
it was a struggle.
I will say, however, that the acting was superb.
There was Patrick Diabuah, who is a personal favourite, as Dr. Bero. KelvinMary Ndukwe
was terrifyingly convincing as Old Man. Other cast members include Bola
Haastrup, Jennifer Osammor and Austin Onuoha. I do not fault the cast or crew
at all. I just think that Madmen and
Specialists is an obscure piece of work, certainly not the kind I enjoy.
The play was one hour and twenty minutes long, and for once I did not wish a
play to last longer.
I will commend the crew, though, for
anticipating the audience’s confusion and trying to manage it. I liked that the
producer had told us to prepare for a weird experience before the play started,
even though I did not fully appreciate this heads up until later. She’d
promised a Q and A session after the play, certain, in her own words, that we
would have questions. She was right. I was relieved when someone in the
audience asked, clearly confused, for a summary of the play. Director Kenneth
Uphopho (with the silent ‘p’s; director of Saro
and Single in Gidi) did a good job of
explaining the play, and I think the audience was somewhat appeased.
Madmen
and Specialists was brought to us by PawsStudios; the
final showing was on Sunday July 26. Still, you can catch a play at Terra
Kulture or the Lekki Waterside Theatre every Sunday.