Blind stab … A boomerang of human deeds

The complexities of life cannot be expounded in one piece or its intricate happenstances in a sentence.

For this incongruity, some people say life is a comedy that should be laughed at, while others believe it is a paymaster, a boomerang or tragedy and receipts of any of its deeds — good or evil — should be accepted or endured in good fate.

It is for this that humans are called to lead a good life — both in the secret and in the open.

The Blind Stab, a stage play written by Olayiwola Awakan and directed by Ifeanyi Eziukwu captures this whole essence of life.

It tells the story of Senator Esosa (Caroline Nzelu), whose source of power and wealth goes beyond what lies on the surface.

She uses her political position as a cover to carry out her heinous acts. She leads a secret sect that renews their powers — political, financial, health and the rest — with human life.

Senator Esosa, for sometime, has not been able to get someone (life container) to sacrifice for her life and success, so, this begins to take its toll on her health.

She becomes seriously sick up to the point of death and is admitted in one of their members’ hospital where the doctor (Bidemi Shokunbi), Jakata (Efe May) life container supplier and Prof (Toyin) brainstorm on how to revive her.

They reach a point that any pregnant woman who comes to the hospital to deliver her baby will be used.

While the plan is hatched and sealed, Jakata marshals it to the various people that will carry it out before going abroad for some personal reasons.

And just as planned, the ploy goes smoothly and a pregnant woman is spiritually exchanged for Senator Esosa’s life.

The woman dies and Esosa recovers from her mysterious illness.

Also, her business, which before now, is nosediving begins to flourish.

Healthy again, Esosa calls her friends and secret cult members to celebrate her wellness.

While they celebrate, Jakata arrives to challenge Esosa for using her sister as her life container, a sacrificial lamb.

She rants and raves, but the evil has been done and there is no reversing the clock.

Jakata’s disposition reminds the audience of one of Darmie O-Lujon’s dictum in her book, Keeper of the Lesser Flame, which says: “The inner suffering of the evil you do to others is not fully understood until you are wearing their aches.”

She regrets her previous actions, wishing she had never met Senator Esosa.

She reminisces on what they had done to others and weeps bitterly for her dead sister, causing Esosa for the pains caused.

While she weeps for the dead, the play cautions the living to amend their ways; lead a good lifestyle.

Presented by Just Theatre House in collaboration with Artbeat Concepts, Blind Stab is one of the plays for the Ifeanyi Eziukwu ongoing Theatre-in-the-Cinema project.

Performed at the Magnificent Cinema, Moyosore House, Onipanu, Lagos, the play calls for citizens to properly screen their leaders before voting them into political offices to represent their interest, as many use the leverage giving to them to cover their despicable acts and that of their friends, which ought to be brought to book.

It also urges the audience to begin to look into the secret lives of people engaging in philanthropic acts, as many have, through this means, hoodwinked people to do what is not pleasing and against societal norms.

Condemning secret cults, Blind Stab calls for the search to go beyond the surface, go deep among the upper echelon of the society; political class, the academia, the professional, business class, care-givers and other group of people the society put in high esteem.

Though, the cast did their best at interpreting their roles and bringing out the various themes and sub-themes of the play, the director, may be, because the project is still a guinea pig did not consider fixing microphones at the appropriate places for the audience to properly hear, comprehend and follow the storyline.

Also, a common passage on the left served, as exit and entrance, which made attention to be paid at this direction.

It would be better to defuse this by using the left-right movement; this would create a balance of the eye level and not cause an unusual shift.

Among the characters, the Senator elucidated her role, bringing out the royalty of a Senator and a machination of an evil actor, with her the devil-may-care plot.

Her voice, mien and attire helped to drive home the messages.

While clapping for Senator Esosa, Jakata in making sure that the fraternity’s mission was executed over stressed her role; she overacted, often time, her tone was at variance with her action.

The Prof. who should have brought in comedy to ease tension created by the ploy, was dry and merely recited his lines.

He should have thrilled the audience with his jaw-breaking terminologies.

Despite this, Eziukwu showed his creativity by putting up a play in a fixed cinema hall, managing the space and adapting to the lightning mode.

Pioneering this project, this thespian looks forward to seeing people queue for live theatre performances, just as they would for the movies.