By Kiundu Waweru
The Festival of Creative Arts this past weekends went all out to break people’s bones with laughter. Sitting at the dim Alliance Francaise theatre, you could almost feel the crack of ribs, and the stretching of the brain with the audience trying to figure out things.
Because of the farce, the hilarious Dangerous Affairs, was moving too fast. The twists and turns came up in a second and the star-studded, talented cast did not help matters.
The plot is simple enough, starting on an easy tempo. A rich factory owner, Jonathan (Robert Ogengo) now reclined into a wheel-chair is looking to give out Sh10 million to the son of his former business associate.
He puts an advert in the local newspapers with the help of his lawyer (Justin Mwichi).
And the drama sets in.
Soon, there is a knock at the door, and the heir apparent, Billy Kilonzo (Mwaura Ng’ang’a) is here, accompanied by Juma an opportunist played stirringly by TV star Juma Williams pretending to be the lawyer but instead looking to hit the Sh10 million jackpot, in whichever way.
Juma soon gets into an awkward alliance with the house girl, Bobo, played by the ever lovely Brenda Wairimu. She is a clever blackmailer. “You look like a million bucks,” Juma tells her, she giggles, goes, “Yes, by the time I am done with you.”
But she comes handy as soon, the plot will change. Billy’s twin, William arrives, claiming the jackpot too. Now, Uncle Jon had a caveat, he will bequeath Kilonzo’s son if he is the only surviving child.
The play will revolve around the cast desperately keeping Jon from realising there is a second twin until he signs the cheque. But there will be a third twin.
Unlike Billy, who is a village idiot, William is educated. They do not know each other as they were separated at birth. Billy’s dotting wife Winnie (Mary Wangare) come looking for him with good news, finally they are pregnant. She bounces on William at Jon’s living room and mistaking him for her husband is amazed by the new found swag, “What is wrong with you, you sound like you are from Lavington.” The audience roars.
But it gets messier. Another twin, Michael, appears. This one sets the stage on fire, he is a slimy schemer, smooth like a snake and 50 Cent’s twang. He wants all the money for himself.
The triplets are never at the stage on the same time because, you guessed right, the character is played by one man.
When they finally bow out of the stage, Mwaura receives the loudest applause. The man can act, adopting different personalities effortlessly. It is a great comedy, directed by Mbeki Mwalimu and Veronica Waceke and produced by Abuto Eliud.
