There are a number of things that can cause a city street to come to a complete standstill. One of the more common ones is a takeover for an artistic presentation as happened on Tuesday, October 22, at Kenyatta Avenue in Nakuru Town.
The cast of the Sarafina Musical show temporarily shut down the street with an impressive flash mob performance that drew in residents eager to get a glimpse of the rare occurrence.
The actors performed some of the all-time favourite classics from the iconic apartheid South Africa-based film for an approximate 30 minutes with brilliantly executed choreography - a taste of what was yet to come.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Martin Githinji a cast member playing the character Sabela revealed that the performance was planned in conjunction with the County Government of Nakuru.
"We put on the flashmob as a way of sensitizing residents on the show and the county helped in organising in terms of security and also getting police officers to block off the streets," he stated.
The show will be restaged at the Nakuru Players Theatre from Thursday, October 24 to Sunday, October 27.
Former Tusker Project Fame (TPF) Principal Hellen Mtawali, who is also on the cast as Mama Sarafina revealed that the flash mob attracted youth from the area and got them interested.
"After the flash mob, many young people gained interest in what we were doing, they even came to the studio as we are rehearsing. The theatre is a great place for youth to discover their talents," she told this writer on the phone.
She added that the goal of the production was to preach peace stating, "The message is for people to love one another and live in peace especially for a country that has a lot of polarising issues."
Lauding the musical, Nakuru Deputy Governor Eric Korir stated that the production had provided employment for a number of young people in the county as well as providing a platform for them to learn about art.
“Nakuru is blessed in so many ways. Hosting the award-winning production of Sarafina musical show at the Nakuru Players Theatre is a great opportunity for us to revamp the entertainment sector,” he was quoted by the Daily Nation.
Eric Wanyama, who is the secretary in the Players Theatre committee, confirmed that everything had been set up for a successful event.
“We are very ready to host the four-day production and currently we are giving out advance tickets at Ksh1,000 and tickets at the gate will go for Ksh1,500,” he stated adding that there are also group packages.
Some of the notable actors who will also feature in the musical are Sheila Munyiva playing Sarafina, and Nice Githinji as Mistress.
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