Fela Tickets

Fela Tickets Information

Fela was a Nigerian musician, a composer and a human rights advocate. He is known best for being one of the first Afrobeat musicians and his strong political views against cultural imperialism. As a middle-class Nigerian who had to live though the effects of colonialism and as a black musician at a time of civil inequality, his life became the focus of the famous Broadway musical, Fela! The book for the musical is written by Jim Lewis and Bill T. Jones . Fela’s original music has been used throughout the play with additional lyrics and music by Jim Lewis, Aaron Johnson and Jordan Mclean . The story focuses on the time in Fela’s life when he was being targeting by 1000 soldiers who wanted to end his reign at the Lagos nightclub.


The musical first premiered in 2008 before it hit Broadway in November, 2009. It received rave reviews even before its Broadway production, winning “Outstanding Choreography”, “Best Musical” and “Outstanding Costume Design” at the Locille Lortel Awards . The Broadway production was similarly successful, selling out Fela tickets in the first week and receiving Tony Award nominations for “Best Sound Design of a Musical”, “Best Costume Design of a Musical” and “Best Choreography”.


The actual story of Fela! is set in 1977, a time when Fela Kuti’s career was at his peak. His compositions and performances were most influential in Nigeria. At a time when the country was being run by military dictators, Kuti would perform at a youth night club called the Afrika Shrine, located in Lagos. The story also explores how Kuti originated what we called Afrobeat. He describes the sound as an amalgamation of the guitar riff sound in James Brown’s music and the drum beat from West African sounds. Kuti adapted the singing style for this music from his time in London in the 1960s and from Frank Sinatra.


The story also looks into Kuti struggle between trying to be a human rights activist and wanting to simply be a famous singer. Soon, he strikes the balance as his music starts to influence his civil work. His music style with time became increasingly political, a theme most evident in his album, “Zombie”. The album, which was internationally released and similarly successful, criticized the Nigerian government. Fela! the musical also depicts how, as a result of the overt album, he was the victim of a raid by 1000 soldiers. Kuti and his wife are shown to be tortured, and his mother murdered. The show then stages the famous protest that Kuti led in an effort to fight against injustice in Nigeria.


Fela! is on tour of the US once more. For this year’s show, the music will be provided by the “Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra”. It has already opened in Canada, and the production thus far has been a hit. Fela tickets for the 2012 tour are available for venues throughout the US, starting with the Ahmanson Theatre in LA. With authentic Afrobeat music and a fresh, talented cast, the show seems worth a watch.