A Performance Review of Moremi Staged at The SCA Theatre on the 10th – 13th July 2025
The play was directed by Francis Mawutor Appreku, a final year directing student of The Department of Theatre arts, UEW as a partial requirement for a degree. The production was staged for four nights.
Synopsis of The Play
“Moremi” is a historical play written by Duro Ladipo which projects the journey of a courageous, brave and fearless heroine or eponymous character Moremi . She embarks on a herculean journey to free her people (Ile- Ife) from the people of Igbo. In order to secure victory, Moremi sacrifices her only son, Oluorogbo to the powerful Esinmerin, the river goddess. Her courage and bravery to sacrifice her son pays off as she gains power and strength to uncover the secrets of her opponents thereby restoring eternal freedom for the people of Ile-Ife.
This review focuses only on the performance that took place on Friday 11th July, 2025 specifically the second night. This review will critique the entire performance. From the acting to the costume, lighting, set design, directing, makeup, sound and of course the acting and audience participation and finally score the performance on a scale of one to ten .
Acting
Acting is the art of performance where actors portray characters and tell stories using dialogue, body language and facial expressions to evoke a reaction from the audience.
The production opened with the Esimerin, goddess at the centre stage of her shrine where the chorus goes around her holding fire in their hands. That action opened the play well and caught the audience’s attention. Even when they then took their positions and began delivering their lines to the audience, one could see that prominence was given to Moremi.This effect is similar to the Greek concept which made use of a chorus who gives an insight or an overview of some of the scenes in the play .
Also, the Ile-Ife market women opened the play on a good note they portrayed their various roles as though they were really at the market.
Moremi was interesting to watch. She did extremely well. She understood her role and nailed her role perfectly. Her encounter with the Igbo king and his people was well executed .The rapport was great. Again, her sacrifice and journey through the dangerous path she took just to save her people from the Igbos was played out well too. Also, her encounter with the Dibia to uncover the secret of her enemies was well established. With her unmatched energy and bravery, she made the audience feel her presence whenever she appeared on stage.
Another captivating character was the Dibia . Through her voice modulations and body language, she projected her characterization to suit her age. Her scene with Moremi was touching and believable.
The Ife king demonstrated his character traits so well. His kindness, generosity and calm nature made him gain trust and respect from his people. His chemistry with his people and as well as his bond with Moremi were so real . However , most of the lines he gave on stage were not clear. His articulation was quite poor which made him somewhat too soft as a king of such a pedestal.
In addition, the Emense who was a drummer at the Ile-Ife community also complemented the role of the king with the exceptional rhythmic drum language which influenced the aura that was embodied by the king.
Moreover, the Ife chiefs also demonstrated their level of commitment and loyalty through their characterization as they were ready to stand by the king in restoring peace and sanity to the community. Only that one of the chiefs played to the gallery with the way he walked and continued he realized that the audience were cheering him up.
Furthermore, one performer who stole the show was the Igbo king . He executed his role with so much ease as he understood and interpreted his role perfectly . His character traits projected a king who was greedy and selfish and he enjoyed invading communities. Also, his bond with Moremi was so real that he trusted her which fueled his quest for power to come to a reality . Great acting there.
Also, the actors who played the role of the warriors for both communities did well. They were very energetic and portrayed their roles well. One could just identify them as warriors just as the sight of them. I must admit that they played it effortlessly though it required a lot of physical strength and effort.
Drummers
The drummers stole the performance by using their rhythmic and exceptional beat to create a spectacle effect in the war scene. For instance, every beat or sound they made synchronized with the vigorous moments that were made on stage by the warriors .
Townspeople
The scene where the townspeople appeared on stage was so exciting to watch . They were able to communicate their mood with their facial expressions and gestures. For instance, the scene where they were all gathered and grieved about Moremi’s whereabouts, you could tell they were worried . It was great with how they immediately switched their mood when they saw Moremi coming .
Technical Aspects
Lighting and Sound
The lighting effect for this production did a great job . The light effect or displacement blended with most of the scenes. The light distinguished whenever it was day, night or dawn.
Again, light helped to ensure believability. For instance , the scene where Moremi took her son to the river goddess, the sound and light gave an effect that made it look like they were really at a river side. Furthermore, the light which was accompanied by the drum that projected the war scene really set the mood ablaze and captured most of the audience’s attention. The sound that was used to fill in during the scene change was really captivating because it carried the theme of the play.
The sound did brilliantly well. The theme song for the production was carefully chosen. The theme song ” Moremi Ajasoro!” influenced the mood of the play . One special thing about the song is the appellation about Moremi in yuroba language, it was a beautiful synchronisation.
Set and props
The set for the production was carefully and perfectly built considering the fact that the play has two different locales.
The set and props designers did a great job by creating the difference between the two communities. Kudos to the set designer Helena Panford whose final year project as a technical student, designed and constructed this masterpiece.
Also, the props used in the execution of their roles were perfect. The players related to the set and the props which were handed to them helped in bringing out their characterization. The war scene really caught my attention because the actors made good use of their props which really created a spectacle.
Costume and makeup
Generally, the costumes and makeup for this production were well selected since it depicted the customs and tradition of the Igbos and Ile-ife community. Especially the costume for the war scene. It was carefully pulled because it did not hinder or make movements difficult for the warriors and it helped in creating a spectacle . The make up of the warriors showed how furious and poised for the battle at hand. Also, the special effect makeup which was created on the warriors and the people of the Ile-ife who were captured by the people of the Igbos really caught my attention because it showed and depicted their struggles and sufferings.
Audience reaction
The audience enjoyed the play. Some audience admired Moremi’s bravery and sacrifice to save her people from the ‘Igbos’. Also, during the war scene some audience cheered Moremi and her warriors not to give up and must be victorious in battle. Again, the Debia from the Igbo community made the audience laugh out when a mention of Igbo medicine names were made.
Generally, the play was treated well considering the origin of the play. Kudos to the director and his cast and crew. I must admit that the wow effect for this production was the war between the Ile-Ife and Igbos.
I will rate this production 8.5/10.
Written by Gifty Ayamba, BA Theatre Arts,UEW.
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