A Yard of Shows

Funny enough, this year we've covered shows across the world. Well at least on 2 continents and in 3 states. Starting with my trip to Las Vegas in October of last year, and ending with Simi's trip to Governor's Island, New York this past July.

Looking back I realise that the year has actually been a lot more exciting than it appears. For one thing, I think this is the greatest number of shows I have ever seen in a 1 year period. That said, simply mentioning them wouldn't do them justice. So here's a brief summary of what they were all about.

1. The Blue Man Show was one of many shows and attractions that my family and I witnessed during our family trip to Las Vegas, Nevada. In the short week we spent there we got to see and experience a variety of shows and attractions but this one was by far the most outstanding. Unfortunately, I couldn't take pictures and conversely it was so good that I couldn't put it into words. To explain the extraordinary goodness of the show I had no choice but to borrow the imaginary word coined by Mary Poppins: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
2. If you've read The Duet, an anthology of poems, then The Duet, A Dramatisation will definitely blow your mind. In the same way that The Lord of the Rings movies bring the books of J.R.R Tolkien to life, The Duet, A Dramatisation brings my book to life too! The theatre director Mr. William Ekpo did an amazing job wrapping music, song, action, and drama around words that were once my own - and made them seem otherworldly.
3. These days when one hears about Nigeria, it usually isn't anything good. But there was a time when the Naira rivalled the Dollar, when our Footballers were amongst the best in the world, and when our National Troupe was still regularly performing. Rhythms & Reminiscences, attempts to take us back to the good old times. Through song and dance, the National Troupe reminds us of what it means to be Nigerian. It was also one of many shows that I got to watch while in the country.
4. Isn't there a place where we can all go to enjoy art? A place where we can interact with it, contribute to it, and learn about it? Why yes there is, and it's called a museum. But if you aren't ready to pay for museum tickets, or if you live in New York, then you might want to check out Governor's Island; where fun, free, interactive and instructive art is more than just a FIGMENT of your imagination.