FELA! on Broadway :: Blog

Jane Fonda loves FELA!

2010-07-29T11:14:00.002-04:00

Jane Fonda saw FELA! Here is what she thought:

Fela is a powerful musical about the life of Nigerian singer, musician and activist, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. It’s a true story and it is exciting to watch and moving to experience. After traveling around the world, Fela created a new kind of music—Afrobeat and I loved it so much I bought 6 CDs to give to friends. It makes you want to dance and the lyrics are radical.

FELA! Videos Turn Two

2010-07-21T06:35:00.005-04:00

The FELA! YouTube page has just turned 2 years old! With 95 videos and half a million views, the videos have chronicled the journey of the show from Off Broadway at 37 Arts to it's home on Broadway. To celebrate, we will occasionally feature a video from the vault.

We'll start with our very first FELA! video when the show was Off Broadway. Notice any differences?

Femi Kuti

2010-07-19T16:48:00.004-04:00

Femi Kuti, Fela's oldest son, made a trip to see FELA! and Sahara TV caught him on camera.

FELA! to be honored at City Hall

2010-07-15T14:45:00.003-04:00

The cast and crew of FELA! will be honored by Council Members Jimmy Van Bramer and Julissa Ferreras on the Steps of City Hall on Thursday, July 29 from 1pm-2:30pm. Speaker Christine Quinn, Council Members Van Bramer and Ferreras will read aloud and present the cast and crew of FELA! with a Proclamation from the City of New York at the Stated Meeting in front of the entire City Council. Truly an honor!

The Summer Campaign

2010-07-09T09:36:00.005-04:00

For the Summer, we brightened up the FELA! art and added more of the dancers! Be on the look out for this new art on Subway platforms, phone kiosks and more. If you see one, take a picture and upload to facebook!

Video: Water No Get Enemy

2010-06-25T16:11:00.004-04:00

Check out the official music video for "Water No Get Enemy" from FELA! the original Broadway cast recording, available online and in stores now!

FELA! Tony Awards & much more...

2010-06-25T10:49:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to the FELA! Cast & Creatives on their Three Tony Awards.

Best Choreography - Bill T. Jones
Best Costume - Marina Draghichi
Best Sound Design - Robert Kaplowitz

Breaking News:
The video for “Water No Get Enemy,” the first single from the Broadway cast album, dropped yesterday and was featured on Entertainment Weekly. You’ll love FELA! music director and Tony® nominee Aaron Johnson’s arrangement: It’s true to the roots of Afrobeat and leaves room for interpretation from the Broadway audience. Take a look: Water No Get Enemy Video

Kenny Ortega! Kenny Ortega! There are plenty of wonderful choreographers, but Mr. Ortega is in a class of his own. He’s worked with everyone from Michael Jackson to Madonna and recently attended a performance of FELA! Take a look at his reaction. Kenny Ortega's Testimonial

This is the Summer of Afrobeat, so watch for FELA! events around the city. First up: Come out to the Lincoln Center Midsummer Night Swing Seried on July 12, 2010 and take an Afrobeat lesson with Associate Choreographer Maija Garcia, DJ Rich Medina, Sahr and the rest of the FELA! dancers. Show us your clocks! Afrobeat Lesson at Lincoln Center

World Cup fans, you may have seen this at the opening ceremony, but for those of you who didn't, here's the Angelique Kidjo music video for Move On Up, which features the amazing FELA! dancers. It’s phenomenal.

Video: Oneika Joins the Cast!

2010-05-17T10:58:00.002-04:00

Join new swing Oenika Phillips as she joins the cast and begins rehearsals for FELA! on Broadway!

11 TONY Nominations for FELA!

2010-05-04T15:17:00.020-04:00

Tuesday, May 4, 2010: A Landmark Day for the Cast & Crew of FELA! Two years ago FELA! played to sold-out houses Off Broadway at 37 Arts. The production was bold, the dancers were beautiful and the music pierced your heart with its clarity and power. Since then, nothing has changed—and everything has changed. We’re a hit ON Broadway, we have the most diverse and fascinating audience in the history of New York theatre, our cast and crew reach new heights of athleticism, artistry and imagination eight shows a week and now we’ve been nominated for 11 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Choreographer and Best Director. We are loving life today. Everybody, please, say Yeah Yeah!

FELA! Nominated for:

Best Musical
Best Book of a Musical: Jim Lewis & Bill T. Jones
Best Actor: Sahr Ngaujah
Best Featured Actress: Lillias White
Best Direction: Bill T. Jones
Best Choreography: Bill T. Jones
Best Orchestrations: Aaron Johnson
Best Scenic Design: Marina Draghici
Best Costume Design: Marina Draghici
Best Lighting Design: Robert Wierzel
Best Sound Design: Robert Kaplowitz

Meet Our Nominees...

Sahr Ngaujah | Bill T. Jones | Lillias White & More...

Pre-Order the Broadway Cast Album Now!

2010-04-20T15:30:00.007-04:00

This phenomenally produced album documents the magic of FELA! Backed by the irrepressibly funky Antibalas, The Original Broadway Cast Recording features the incomparable Sahr Ngaujah as Fela, Lilias White as Funmilayo (Fela’s mother), and Saycon Sengbloh as Sandra Izadore (Fela’s American girlfriend) singing all 16 of the Fela compositions that are performed on stage. This recording captures the electricity and joy that thousands have experienced at the Eugene O’Neill Theater every night since the play opened on November 23, 2009, and is not only a document of that experience, but also a musical statement in its own right. Click here to pre-order!

Video: Broadway Sneak Peeks

2010-04-07T10:17:00.008-04:00

Check out these special sneak peeks at FELA! on Broadway!

Lillias White performs Rain

A sneak peek of Yellow Fever

A look at Zombie

Video: 100 Shows and Going Strong!

2010-04-05T11:11:00.011-04:00

Celebrate with the cast and friends at the 100th performance of FELA! on Broadway!

Video: Bill T. Jones Twitter/Facebook Q&A

2010-03-30T11:10:00.003-04:00

Visionary director/choreographer Bill T. Jones answers your FELA! questions from Facebook and Twitter! Say Yeah Yeah!

Video: A Conversation With Ghariokwu Lemi

2010-03-15T12:36:00.004-04:00

Join Ghariokwu Lemi, the famed Nigerian artist who created many of Fela's album covers, in this exclusive interview!

Video: The Stars Are Out at FELA! on Broadway

2010-02-23T14:12:00.001-05:00

Hear what celebrity visitors have to say about FELA!!

Video: FELA! On Fallon... and More!

2010-02-23T12:32:00.005-05:00

Check out this video of the cast of FELA! on the Jimmy Fallon show and backstage at the Eugene O'Neill!

Video: FELA! Rhythm in Life

2010-02-16T10:29:00.006-05:00

Check out this video of the cast of FELA! dancing and singing behind the scenes!

Video: FELA! and The Roots

2010-01-25T11:05:00.001-05:00

Check out this video of the cast of FELA! at the Roots Holiday Jam.

Fela Kuti Primer + Opening Night

2010-01-11T10:28:00.005-05:00

The Speakeasy blog on the Wall Street Journal has a little post about how to get started with the music of Fela Kuti (and - less-successfully - how to get Sahr’s abs of steel). While it’s far from comprehensive, the post will give you a nice bit of background if you’re new to the whole scene. Worth checking out here.

And, while you’re at it, don't miss this (lengthy) Broadway Beat video of FELA! opening night and the Gypsy of the Year award ceremony. After sitting through a really long opening jingle, there’s a ton of great footage of the show and interviews with director/choreographer Bill T. Jones, and stars Sahr Ngaujah and Lillias White.

Inspired by FELA!

2010-01-04T12:27:00.000-05:00

Fela Jacket from Brian Paupaw on Vimeo.

Great video by artist Brian Paupaw about designing some fantastic FELA!-inspired jackets - one of which was gifted to director/choreographer Bill T. Jones during the Off-Broadway run of the show. Love the work, Brian.

Press Recap, Fela Gifts & More

2009-12-20T21:50:00.011-05:00

Everyone’s been busy the last couple weeks getting ready for the holidays, so, in case you missed it, here’s a little bit of a recap of the great coverage FELA! has received in the press:

We’re one of the top shows of the year, according to just about everybody, including: USA Today, The New York Times, Time, Time Out New York, and The LA Times
The women of FELA! were profiled in the New York Times
Marina Draghici - costume and set designer - was also featured in the Times that same day.
A pizza branded “The Zombie” was released in honor of the show at Two Boots Pizza.
Broadway-veteran Lillias White gave an interview with Playbill.com
One of the Fela’s in FELA!, Kevin Mambo, chatted with WNYC on Human Rights day.
The cast of FELA! joined The Roots on stage at the annual Holiday Jam at B.B. King's in NYC.

I could easily go on, but I’m sure you could use some extra time to perfect your figgy pudding and buy some last minute gifts (check below for some Fela-themed ideas!). Oh yeah, and don’t forget to send out a few Fela Kuti e-cards, courtesy of Knitting Factory Records!

Fela Navidad!

Celebs at FELA! (Pt. 1)

2009-12-13T22:05:00.002-05:00

Some very cool people have been coming to see FELA! on Broadway, and I’m not even talking about all the celebrities! Our audiences have been totally awesome, totally unlike any audience Broadway has ever seen, and we absolutely love it.

But, yeah, celebrities are cool, too, and this video has a few recent visitors like Sting, Alicia Keys, and Lily Tomlin - all pretty great, if you ask me.

FELA! on The Colbert Report

2009-12-08T10:29:00.004-05:00

FELA! made a big TV appearance on The Colbert Report, and it was a huge success. Check out the two segments from the show below:

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Fela! - Zombie

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Economy

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Bill T. Jones

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Economy

How Does Music Empower You?

2009-12-07T12:52:00.004-05:00

Leading up to the opening of FELA! on Broadway, we ran a great contest on social networking site BlackPlanet, where its users were invited to submit their answers to the question, “How does music empower you?” for a chance to win tickets to see FELA! on opening night, and attend the star-studded party. We received a ton of great submissions, and below are a few of our favorites, including a great one by our lucky winner, Christy Johnson (pictured above with her aunt). Many thanks to all who entered.

Music is like a multi-vitamin for me. I literally wake up in the morning, get out of bed and take it. I tune into my favorite R&B station in order to begin the process of taking me to another state of mind. Music makes it easier to temporarily forget about my problems. I forget about my unemployment status, bill collectors and lack of child support payments to name a few. This single mother turns into whatever she deems appropriate at the moment. My brush becomes my microphone and it empowers me to become Mary Mary, Goapele, Beyonce, Jill Scott, Bill Withers, or Michael Jackson to name a few!!! I've decided to allow music to use me in order to uplift me, de-stress, and turn my problems into solutions. As sad as this may sound, my ring tone for my bill collectors is now Mariah's "Why you so Obsessed with me?" Although this is no joking matter, considering my circumstances, I needed a laugh. Trust me. Music means oh so very much to me. I hear Marvin Sapp's "Never would have made it!" whenever I feel weak. I hear Groove Theory's "Lift your head to the sky and keep Trying" whenever I need motivation. I hear Beyonce's "If you want it then you shoulda put a ring on it" whenever my ex boyfriend calls in a jealous tirade or with drama. I hear Bill Withers “Grandma’s Hands” while witnessing my grandmother fight just to remember through the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s disease. I can hear Happy Feelin by Maze featuring Frankie Beverly and think about family reunions! Music moves me. Music uses my soul. Music saves me. Music helps me. Music should be given an additional term: Healing or Vitamin for the soul.

~Christy Johnson

Music is the ultimate form of expression, and it allows us to communicate with each other in a way that's much deeper than words. Real music can speak to our hearts and ignite our souls. I define empowering someone as giving them control of their own destiny. My favorite music speaks to me personally, as only music can. And illuminates my journey(not only where I have been, but also where I am going). It allows me to envision what I want to happen or what I want to change, which gives me power over my own destiny. The beautiful thing about music is that it can do that for all of us.

~Juanita Danridge

Music is uniquely empowering because it is often the most effective weapon against oppression of all forms. It has also been one of the greatest tools in promoting peace. I am empowered by music in that music often expresses feelings or sentiments I have more effectively than my words alone.

~Tauhir Jones

World AIDS Day

2009-12-01T15:41:00.001-05:00

Please join FELA! in commemorating World Aids Day, and take a moment to remember those who—like Fela—have died from this serious disease, as well as those battling AIDS and HIV every day around the world. The World Aids Day site has lots of resources and information about how you can help fight AIDS and increase awareness.

And finally, our friend and Keep A Child Alive co-founder Alicia Keys is giving a one-night-only performance tonight at 8pm EST to be live-streamed on YouTube. Watch it here when it happens, and please consider making a donation to Keep a Child Alive, an organization dedicated to providing life-saving anti-retroviral treatment, care and support services to children and families whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India by directly engaging the global public in the fight against AIDS.

Peace.