Afia Siriboe meets her audience

AFTER weeks of media hype, Afia Siriboe, Kwaku Sintim Misa’s latest character finally met “her” audience at the National Theatre last Saturday and appeared too shy to deliver what was expected to be another vintage of KSM.

To say KSM is a versatile actor is an understatement considering the many characters he has successfully put on stage over the years but playing a woman may be considered his most challenging role in his acting career yet.

Taking on a woman’s role was a daring move for the undisputed king of comedy and one might have to forgive him if he wasn’t the complete woman that he set out to be. The applause that greeted Afia Siriboe was deafening when she made her entry but the enthusiasm could not be sustained for too long. Starting off with a dance, Afia warmed her way into the hearts of her audience.

For starters, Afia requested all couples present to take the Afia Siriboe Marriage Renewal Vows to usher in the new year. It is amazing how the number of standing couples reduced as they went on with the vows. This may be because the confessions in the vows were probably hitting them too hard or they simply thought it was going on for too long.

The women in the audience had a good time when Afia Siriboe went on the men’s case. Obviously prejudiced, she went on to reveal some of the many tricks of men. From their attitude when they receive calls from their girlfriends in the presence of their wives to their numerous business treks.

Even before this, Afia made some confessions to the amusement of the audience — that she had a crush on former president Rawlings, that she used to date Dr Kwesi Botchwey, that she is a good friend of Professor Atta Mills and that she’s been divorced thrice.

On marriages, Afia shared her opinions some of which were quite outrageous. For instance, she prefers marriages of the olden days where parents chose spouses for their children. According to her, there was nothing like courting in those days yet marriages worked so well and lasted. That is not the case now considering the high rate of divorce among couples.

One point of the show that had a potential of leaving a lasting impression on the audience was when she shared some of her experiences with her former husbands with the audience. Then there was the part where she came out with the types of men we have. It looked like all the men present found themselves in a category.

Certainly, KSM would have scored higher points if he had sustained his character some more. Tried as he did, there were a few occasions that one could tell that it was KSM on stage and not Afia Siriboe.The performances that preceded Afia’s arrival were quite good with Buk Bak receiving the loudest cheers. Borketey 11, K K Fosu, Ama Misa and Kasim together with his Wulomei partner all did well to warm the stage for Afia Siriboe.

The jokes the “invisible MC” Kweku Afrifa cracked created some good laughs for the audience but going the way he did with former president Rawlings was not quite comfortable. A swipe or two would have done the trick but not asking the big man to stand up, and then his wife, and then the children. That was too much.