WHAT'S MY NAME? MR. SMOOOOOOOTH!
Having thrilled audiences with
remarkable stage acts like "she loves me she loves me not,"
"what daddy left behind," “mum is dad and dad is mum,”
"apartment N1," “different shades of women,” "don't mess
with a woman" among others, Uncle Ebo Whyte’s new play- “WHAT’S MY NAME?”
is another classic piece from the Roverman productions which was premiered last
weekend at the National Theatre with two showings per day.
The play is set in a contemporary radio
station called Radio Omega. Of all six workers at the station, one can find
Abena, an irritating secretary, Victoria, an innocent receptionist, Mr. Ansah,
a corrupt General Manager, Paul, a so-called Man of God, KB, a radio presenter
and of course Dennis, a crafty driver.
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| Dennis with one of his girlfriends |
Along with other four characters; a
police officer, a student, a business man and KD's wife, the ten cast play is
bound on a theme that simply describes the corrupt practices of people in
society who are always quick to judge others even when they are not saint
themselves.
Such a theme is strong enough to get
audiences to reflect on their own activities before pointing accusing fingers
at others. Simply put- “remove the log in your eyes before you take out the
speck in another’s.”
Very talented and interesting
characters filled the auditorium with laughter and gave audiences a moment of
great excitement and fun. The different genre of music played in between the
acts also gave a direct feel of the whole performance as it falls in line with
the actions. It was hilarious and certainly worth the amount.
Just ask Abena a question and she’s
sure to spend hours chirping without answering. A simple “How are you Abena?”
will attract throw back questions like “do you mean how is my health? how is my
day? Or how is my mood?” Sometimes her colleagues think she purposely does that
to avoid answering a particular question or to boycott her duties.
Her attitude gets too frustrating that
it sends tears down her boss’ cheeks. “Abena please call me Paul” he would say.
“Should I use the telephone, go with my legs or what?” she responds. That is
the character Abena and she can’t be fired because her dad is the owner of the
station.
The protagonist Dennis aka KD, plays a
pivotal role of a driver. Equate him to Kwaku Ananse and you can’t be wrong.
His clever and cunning nature offers him the accolade Mr. Smoooooth! - At least
that is how he prefers to be called by his colleagues.
Even as a common driver, he applies a
smart ploy to win a multi-million dollar contract for his boss. All he
did was to get on the phone and articulate his own rendition of the Queen’s
English to woo the client and that was all!
Again, he impersonates the “original”
KD, the radio presenter. This wins him the hearts of many ladies who think they
are in love with the famous presenter who always rocks their airwaves thus,
trooping into the station to look for him.
At times when it gets so apparent to
them that “fake” KD is only misleading them, Dennis lures them with series of vibes just to sway them unto his side.
He is the one who is able to convince "original" KD's wife to believe
that her husband is not cheating on her. When she receives a love text on her
husbands phone, she was prepared to skin him alive if Dennis hadn't
intervene.
"Madam, your husband KD has been bragging so much about how patient and loving you are. He says you can never get mad at him no matter what. To prove otherwise, i intentionally sent that text to him since i was sure he had mistakenly exchanged his phone with yours on his way to work."
You see, this is just one of the miraculous works of Mr. Smooth as he saves a marriage from collapsing.
Indeed, he is too smooth for any
mistake. He just knows how to play his cards well and with that he is able to
get every bit of information which he can use to blackmail all of his victims
in case his plans backfire one day.
Dennis, "original" KD and wife
To him, no one can justify his actions
but little did he know that he is being investigated by a police officer, a
lady who pretends to be one of his fans. But who are you to judge the
dealings of Dennis when you are not clean yourself?
Victoria, the receptionist fears for
his dangerous moves but even that doesn’t prevent him from reinstating to her
the truth about the paternity of her three children. How did he know? Well, she
had been an adulterous woman and when Dennis finally mentions it to her, she
succumbs to his request.
Eventually, she becomes an accomplice
who makes ten percent of each dealing she helps him with.
When it is time for the crook to be
brought to book, the American Embassy calls in to say someone has secured Visas
for some students in the name of the station. This is indeed the last straw
that broke the camel’s back.
The General Manager goes in to
investigate and he’s left with no option than to fire him. Mr. Smooth has been
of tremendous help to his boss; as a driver, business partner and a wing man
who helps him with plans on how to get rid of his wife to be with his mistress.
But this time, the young man has crossed his boundaries and so he was shown the
exit.
Before Dennis says goodbye to Radio
Omega he makes a request. The General Manager isn’t in support of the idea but
his hands are tired. He can’t afford to be humiliated by the secret recordings
concerning his corrupt dealings. The other workers were therefore not spared
too. Their covert activities is sure to end their careers once publicized.
Even the police officer has to let go of Dennis or lose her job.
Now who are they to judge? The police
officer who used fake documents to gain entry into the profession, the boss
with a different account where he channels other proceeds of the company, the receptionist
who has three children borne of different fathers at the expense of her
husband, the so called man of God who takes bribe in his line of duty or the
original KD who has impregnated another woman and yet had the guts to lie to
his wife?
In fact, no one is fit to judge Dennis,
the “Kweku Ananse” of the play. What’s his name again? Mr. Smoooooth!
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| Mr. Smooooooth! |
With such a powerful and reflective
story line, the curtain eventually draws down on the show but before that,
audiences were once again blown away with a choreography of contemporary
hip-life tracks by the cast. The whole show was entertaining, hilarious,
educative and reflective. Reactions from the public proved it was worth going
to see.
Always Remember! Before you point an accusing
finger at someone, just make sure your whole hands are clean.
Your comments are welcomed!
6 Feedback:
Very good retelling of the play. From your writing I have a sense of the whole play and its theme. Good job.
Thanks, your comment is much appreciated
Your English tutor must be really proud of you for this on-point summary. I did follow the radio interviews (publicity) that preceded this one and I think the narration couldn't have been worded any better. I'm a big fan of Uncle Ebo Whyte and his Food For Thought presentations but unfortunately, I have not attended any of his plays yet. Perhaps, it's time I have a change of heart! Thumbs up!
Thanks! This is actually my first time attending the show and i couldn't be more than excited about the excellent presentation of the characters. I think it's time we all reflected on our actions before passing any judgement on others. I surely won't miss the next play.
This is a crisp and insightful summary. I believe this summary can adequately fill in the gaps for anyone who might have watched the play but missed out on some lines. I can also bet you that anyone who reads this summary before watching the play stands the chance of understanding and appreciating its numerous inherent lessons better. Keep up the good work.
Thanks, apparently this is dedicated to those who couldn't make it to the auditorium. I hope this drives them there next time.
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