A million pound worth lesson

My weekends are usually packed with fun-filled activities. Last weekend wasn’t anything different. I roamed from one wedding to another and eventually… found myself at National Theatre watching Uncle Ebo Whyte’s latest work, One Million Pounds. Whew!

I had earlier read a ‘mixed’ review of One Million Pounds. A friend put on our whatsapp page, “The story line of #1MillionPounds was weak.” It daunted the spirits of others, I could tell. Another patron who watched the same show put on social media, “What a performance!”

I was confused. This ‘mixed’ review indeed whetted my interest to see the creative piece for myself.

I was there for Saturday’s second show at 8pm. As usual, the show started promptly at 8pm! By now, you should know that is one hallmark of Roverman Productions; nothing like Ghana Man Time (GMT).

Seated comfortably, I had a lot of questions on my mind. If there was anything more than ‘high’, that was what exactly depicted my expectations. The show opened. Smoke filled the stage. Energetic dancers from nowhere were all over the place with the singers doing their own thing.

The melodious harmony from the vocal cords of the singers was just indescribable. It was a four (4) member band called JAMA. The excitement had taken off!

Apparently, One Million Pounds was about JAMA. It was a story inspired by Reggie and Bollie, Ghana’s sensational icons in the recent X Factor.

A Ghanaian singing group, JAMA, had found its way into a UK singing competition and made it to the finals. And then… the politics of the competition came to play. Some ‘unseen’ forces wanted to buy the group off so they boycotted the show.

The band manager, Nii, sold it off, as expected. The twists and turns of the story lead us to the final where JAMA shows up to the excitement of all!

As a playwright, I know how hard a thing it is to sustain audience excitement for as long as two (2) hours. This, Uncle Ebo Whyte has such a firm grip on. I think the singing cast and unadulterated humor do the trick.

I do satire a lot. I have a sense of humor but hardly do laugh. One thing I couldn’t hold back at last weekend’s show, I must confess, was my laughter. Wow! Each character had a peculiar way of getting us to giggle.

The money-conscious Nii whose ‘r’ and ‘l’ were utterly out of place got us bursting into laughter. Sooner than I thought, the entire house was chorusing his catch phrase, “Somebody hit me!”

Thank God for plays. They help us relax. They entertain us. But more importantly, they should educate us. That is what separates a ‘matured’ playwright from the rest. If your play is not carrying any message aside the entertainment, then it is no play indeed.

The subtle lessons Uncle Ebo Whyte teaches through his plays are awesome. One Million Pounds taught honor, integrity and patriotism. Nii, the band manager, sold off their pride for some peanuts because he thought the offer was just irresistible. The questions that run through my mind were… have I sold my pride for money? Has this nation being sold for some peanuts!?

Our pride is not for sale! This nation is not for sale! Our leaders have no right to negotiate our future for their selfish desires, like Nii did. Interestingly, Nii after being bought off also bought off some of his band members except two who resisted the offer. A series of buying off! Don’t let anyone buy you off.

We are in hard times as a nation. However, no matter how empty your pocket is, don’t sell any part of this nation off to satisfy yourself today. We make our nation. We make Ghana. Resist any offer that would stain your (our) honor.

Uncle Ebo Whyte emphasized his belief in a better Ghana; a million pound worth lesson. He made it clear through #1MillionPounds that there’s hope for our future. Not every Ghanaian is corrupt. We still have patriotic Ghanaians who would resist every negotiation to sell our pride… no matter how juicy it may look.

Was this what a friend described as “a weak story line” play? Maybe we all appreciate things differently. But… if you can’t appreciate a piece well, don’t turn others away from enjoying it by your distasteful comments.

As always, I am inspired by Uncle Ebo Whyte’s works to work even harder. I am challenged to keep raising the bar with every piece of mine. The stage lights. Sound. Cast. Crew. Technically, everything was awesome.

I believe in Ghana, too. I believe we are “sitting on gold” as Uncle Ebo Whyte opines.

The next time you hear of an Uncle Ebo Whyte show, patronize it. Is it too expensive? Maybe yes. Maybe no. Theatre is very expensive. Literally! Take it from another playwright.