By Mike Owuor
As provocative storylines go, A House Divided is straight from the top drawer. The satirical play by Fanartics Kenya, the new kids on the theatre block, will premiere at the National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, on April 3, with a repeat performance the following day.
Directed by Victor Ber, the satirical play is a story of the tragically named Medusa, a woman locked in a confusing scenario. She finds herself sandwiched between two men — each claiming ownership and legitimacy. Left with little choice, she gets involved in a polyandrous relationship (married to two men). But a dispute arises and a decision must be made on who remains the husband. After all options are put on the table, the two men opt to share the woman: One takes the hip upwards, while the other owns the rest of the body. But they seem not to have anticipated the implications of their decision.
Complications emerge when Medusa gets pregnant courtesy of the man who owns the lower part of the body. But who will claim the child given that the pregnancy shows on the upper part, which is somebody else’s territory? And how, pray, will they agree on breastfeeding the child?
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But beneath the humour, A House Divided raises serious issues of governance, the place of the citizenry in decision-making, and even ridicules selfish decisions that leaders make without looking into either the future or reality.
"This is going to be a funny and engaging show," says Ber.
A household name within local theatre scene, Ber has been directing professional theatre productions in Nairobi since 2000. Some of his latest works include This is Kenya, Let Kenyans Be Kenyans and Dare Kenyans to Love. As an actor, he says he has been involved in over 150 plays since 1997 when he entered onto the professional stage.
The cast features some of the best theatre talents in town. They include Bernard Safari who also features in the TV programme Beba Beba, Antony Ndung’u and Mwadulo Morrison. Joseph Gitau who has won favourable reviews for his wacky act in Dare Kenya to Love as a village elder, and as one of the city council elders in Let Kenyans Be Kenyans, is also in this production. And those who watched Luanda Jawar in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Ola Rotimi’s evergreen The Gods are not to Blame, among other plays, will certainly not want to miss watching him in A House Divided.
The play is written by Munene wa Mumbi, whose other controversial scripts include A House of Senseless Sense and Second Crucification, a story about a present day hip Jesus who speaks today’s language. According to Grace Bomu who is in charge of Communications, Legal and Corporate affairs at Fanartics Kenya, the theatre group steps onto the stage to offer a wholesome experience. "Fanartics is not just a theatre business affair; it is a movement to turn around the fortunes of Kenya’s unattended creative industry."