Shocked that the production started over 1 hour late at the Atlanta civic center. It was disgraceful! A few staff were not as pleasant as one might expect at such an astoundingly gala occasion. And there was a long line of people outdoors, in the cold drizzling rain, waiting to get in an hr. prior to the start of the program. After, finally, being seated, stage crew were cleaning the set - leisurely, as though, the audience was not present and waiting, patiently, for the show to start. The production had a screen that could not be viewed by audience sitting in the upper level sections - which was idiotic and a total waste of our money. Our imaginations had to fill in the blanks because we couldn't see the full screen. Why sell seats in a section where people cannot see most of the screen? Ridiculous. The audio was messed up and sound could not be heard well, some of the time. The lead actor's accent was authentically "thick" and the technical problems didn't help understanding what was being said. The intermission was too long - at least 1/2 hr. I fell asleep during the scene when Fela was seeking his mother's spiritual direction because of the lateness of the show. I noticed others were groggy, too. All that being said FELA was PHENOMENAL. Although, at one point I wanted my money back because of the above-cited technical issues. FYI - I actually met Fela in Lagos Nigeria (he came to the door in his underwear) and I saw his show at the National Theatre. Fela the Musical was genius! It told many of the highlights of Fela's life. I was surprised to learn and happy to that his activism was greatly influenced by African American literature and the Black Power Movement. Loved the compliment he gave African American women. A great line. Fela was a very colorful, powerful, charismatic person and the production reflected his life very well. The singing, acting, dancing and music was explosive, gloriously exhaustive and wonderful. A bit surprised that some of the musicians were white and Asian, in the play. That made it seem less authentic because his band members were all black Africans. Though they were talented, that was a stupid flaw, especially, to an Atlanta audience, which is overwhelmingly, African/American. I'm not prejudice but critiquing it honestly. Nevertheless, despite my few objections, it was an AMAZING production for which I am soooooo honored to have seen. I appreciate all the talent and effort put into making it happen for the enjoyment of audiences worldwide. Besides the actual performance of the real Fela and his dancers, the musical FELA was a top-notch production, in every regard! Loved it and highly recommend music lovers around the world to go see it whenever opportunity presents. Marvelous entertainment! I hope to see it again in another City - Chicago! And, I can't wait to share it with my daughter, who is excited about seeing it too! Thanks to everyone involved in making the production a reality and bringing to life - Fela's role in influencing the politics of a corrupt, greedy and oppressive regime. His music contributed to positive influences and unity of Nigeria. He faced his critics and attackers with music that was more powerful than their brute force. Yea-yea! I applaud Fela's life and the musical production that featured it. Thank you!!!
