‘I want to transport my audience into that celestial and spiritual ecstasy that people experience in these churches… I have used dance as a means of worship and a tool for seduction’ – director, Austen-Peters
WOLE Soyinka’s all-time classic satire on religious hypocrisy and charlatanism, ‘The Trials of Brother Jero’, is on stage this Easter weekend.
Courtesy of the ever-busy Bolanle Austen-Peters’ Productions, BAP, the staging of Trials… starts Friday, April 15 and will run through to Easter Monday, April 18 at 3pm and 7pm daily, parading a stellar cast including: Udofia Ejoh-Zara, Omowunmi Dada, Deyemi Okanlawon, and KelvinMary Ndukwe, among others.
According to the promo from the production outfit, Trials… is a light satiric comedy that takes aim at religious hypocrisy in the form of a charlatan, or fraud, named Brother Jero, who preaches to his followers on Bar Beach in Lagos.
“Brother Jero is a cunning beach diviner who woos customers (penitents) to his church by using Christian superstition for his own salvation. For him, the church is a business. He says:
‘I am glad I got here before any customers – I mean worshipers.. l always get a feeling every morning that am a shopkeeper waiting for customers.’
“Aside from religious hypocrisy, It incorporates a theme of romantic betrayal and the skepticism over the use of religion. Much of the satire and irony in The Trials of Brother Jero comes from the contrast between a self-proclaimed “man of god” and the ordinary community life he finds himself within.”
On her directorial notes, the director Bolanle Austen-Peters, whose last work on Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman, received applause from audience and critics alike, states:
“I directed this play reminiscing on what Bar Beach used to look like growing up in the 70s. It was critical to bring that beach setting back, so I am big on creating a true-to-life set of waves, ocean and beach. Second is that, I want to transport my audience into that celestial and spiritual ecstasy that people experience in these churches. The last tool I have used is dance. Dance as a means of worship and a tool for seduction. Overall, I have tried to expose the hypocrisy of the Prophet Jero.”
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CAST PROFILE
Lanre Adediwura (Brother Jero)
Theatre lover, Art Promoter and a Culture enthusiast, Lanre is a graduate of English and Literature Studies from the Lagos State University. Also a prolific writer, actor and filmmaker, he has has had a remarkable work experiences, earning credits as a media practitioner, creative head, media sales executive, TV host and business development manager with several media outfits and television stations. In 2017, he resigned formally from paid jobs to pursue his dream as a lover of the Fourth Estate of the Realm. The same year he established Emlan Media; and has since then received awards for outstanding track records in the fields of art.
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Omowunmi Dada (Amope)
A multiple award-winning actor, filmmaker, humanitarian, Omowunmi’s creative energy, versatile talent, stage presence and mastery of many cultures as an actor have earned her the respect of her peers, critics and audiences alike. She has earned good credits in such popular movies as Oloture (second Netflix Original film produced in Nigeria,) Diamonds in the sky, The Sessions, Ojuju, Omugwo, Oga Bolaji King Invincible, Somewhere In The Dark, The Antique. She has also featured in a lot of television series, including MTV Shuga Naija, and in Africa Magic Original Series such as Jemeji and E.V.E; EbonylifeTV series such as Dere (an African Adaptation of Disney’s “Cinderella“), Married to the Game and Best Friends. Omowunmi played the titular character in Nigeria’s first animation full-length feature film, Sade. Her accomplishments in tese various and diverse roles have been rewarded with more than 20 African, pan-African and global awards and nominations, including as ‘Best Lead Actress’ at the RealTime International Film Festival, 2019. She is also an AMVCA 2022 nominee for Best Supporting Actress. In her engagement as a humanitarian, Omowunmi advocates on behalf of children living with Cancer and girls as a goodwill Ambassador of several charities.
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Zara Udofia-Ejoh:
Actress, dancer, voice over artiste, Zara has been q professional performer for over two decades, operating in the divergent mediums of the performing arts – radio, tv, film and theatre (locally and internationally). Her performance credits include: Stage: “A Horse on my Back (Lagos, German tour), Things Fall Apart (world tour ’99, COJA-2003), Sense of Belonging (Royal National Theatre Studios, London), Women of Owu, The Voyage”– (Heart of Africa project – London), Eye of the Tiger (dance), Vagina Monologues, Heartbeat The Musical, Kakadu The Musical (Lagos and Calabar 2013, Davos, Switzerland -2014), Little Drops (South-South Nigeria Tour-2016), Hear Word (2016 international tour, A.R.T – Harvard, 2018, international tour 2019, Edinburgh International festival 2019), “Murder in the Cathedral” Lagos.” TV: “Uncut,” Wetin Dey”, “Domino,” “Bestfriends,” “Battleground” “Brethren.” Movies: “Relentless,” “Jungle Ride,” “Big Daddy” (short film), 93 Days,” “The New Normal,” ”Besties,” “Unwilling.” Radio: “I need to know,” “Hope rising” on autism), “Omowunmi” short film (best actress – Eko Int’l film festival- 2021). Zara who also sings, speaks English and Yoruba fluently, Igbo and Ibibio (not fluent) and several Nigerian accents.
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Kelvinmary Ndukwe:
A trained character actor with fluency in Igbo, Yoruba, Pidgin and English languages, Kelvinmary has enjoyed playing well-acclaimed roles in theatre, television and film carving a niche for himself as one of Nigeria’s most intentional character actor.
Kelvinmary has performed in plays such as Soyinka’s Madmen and Specialists, Lion and the Jewel, Obstacle Race, Kongi’s Harvest and The Strong Breed; Legends the Musical, Langbodo, Prison Chronicles and Jagagba as well as in Television series- Riona, Venge and Unbroken. He enjoys writing and directing when he is not acting. His play Sisi Pelebe showed at the Theater Der Welt (Germany) in 2021 and also enjoyed a successful run of a month-long run in Lagos in August 2021. Other plays by Kelvinmary are Omugwo, Panty Liners, Nightfood, Games Night and Ileke Idi.
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Deyemi Okanlawon:
A former sales executive and graduate of Chemical Engineering from the University of Lagos, Deyemi who was very active in amateur theater from an early age went to his first ever film audition in 2010 and got cast in a feature and a short film. Thereafter he took an Acting For Film Course at the Delyork Film Institute and switched careers to full-time acting by 2013. A multiple award-winning leading African Film, TV, Theatre and Voice actor, well known for his acting range, Deyemi was listed as the highest grossing Nollywood actor in 2020 and 2021 consecutively. Also in 2020, he was named the lead male actor in the highest grossing movie in Nollywood history, Omo Ghetto The Saga, and in 2021 for Prophetess, Ghost And The Tout Too and Lockdown. Deyemi has the record of starring in six out of the seven Netflix Originals produced in Nigeria: The King’s Horseman, Blood Sisters, Far From Home, Swallow, Castle & Castle and King of Boys, and he has starred in several other films and series showing on other streaming platforms — Amazon, Africa Magic and IrokoTV.
