Anozie-Young, Diabuah, others light up stage at MUSON Festival 2018

The amazing duo of Patrick Diabuah and Gloria Anozie Young will join other exceptional actors to light up the stage at the prestigious Agip Recital Hall of MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, to commemorate the ongoing 22nd edition of MUSON Festival 2018 on Saturday, October 27. The feature drama for this year Such Is Life, written by Professor Femi Osofisan and directed by Kenneth Uphopho, is a hilarious comedy with all the characteristics of a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

The protagonist Professor Juokwu (Patrick Diabuah) has made a scientific discovery, which enables his quick getaways to his numerous escapades. This ‘Midnight Blackout,’ as he calls it, will eventually get him into trouble with his wife Obioma (Gloria Young) as well as Mr. Akubundu (Kanayo Okani). Other actors include Omololu Shodiya, Friday Francis and Bunmi Sogade.

Uphopho explained Such Is Life was chosen for MUSON Festival 2018, saying, “Such is life is the choice for Muson Festival 2018 because of the theme and sub-themes projected in the play which resonates with the direction of the festival. It’s dynamic choice of language and style displayed by well-rounded characters is also a testament of the writer’s proficiency. It was originally titled Midnight Blackout after the obvious plot of the play.”

Although a hilarious comedy, Uphopho Such Is Life also contains doses of grave political implication for the country, adding, “Such is life checks everything on the list in terms of performance, message, plot, drama, intrigue and being funny. It is a serious play but there’s humour intertwined in the seriousness of the situation in the play.

“However, what many people don’t know and what is not covered in the marketing publications for Such is Life is that it is a satire on the government devised through the family institution. It covers political, social, ethnic and economic factors prevalent in the society today. There is a thorough dissecting of the different economic programmes the government has introduced which in turn has been potentially ‘unfavourable’ to the masses. The play also takes a cursory look at infidelity and adultery as they affect the society at large in the grand scheme of things.”

For Uphopho also, the impact of the yearly MUSON Festival drama “goes beyond just creating a sustainable platform for drama to be ‘seen,’ especially by music enthusiasts and arts lovers. It also celebrates writers and their contributions to the arts in general.”

Such is Life is produced by Brenda Uphopho for PAWSTUDIOS.