Overview

Music and lyrics by Fela Kuti
Book by Bill T. Jones and Jim Lewis
Directed by Lili-Anne Brown
July 7 – August 13, 2023
Co-produced with and performed at Olney Theatre Center

Round House Theatre and Olney Theatre Center combine forces for an epic co-production of the award-winning musical Fela!, the first professional production anywhere in the world since its national tour more than ten years ago. It’s 1978, and we meet musician, activist, and global superstar Fela Anikulapo Kuti at his farewell show at the Afrika Shrine nightclub in Lagos, Nigeria. After losing his own mother in a dictator’s violent attack, Fela’s final act in Nigeria is to use his iconic music—a spirited blend of traditional African drumming, jazz, and funk—to tell his story of survival and global revolution through Afrobeat and floor-shaking dance. The Tony Award-winning and Grammy-nominated musical “captures the spirit of rebellion…that dwells within all of us” (The New York Times) in the inspiring true story of one man’s fight against corruption and oppression.

Single tickets will become available for purchase exclusively from Olney Theatre Center in early fall 2022 (date to be announced). 

The 2022-2023 Season is sponsored by Linda Ravdin and Don Shapero.