Over the weekend, the National Theater played host to a beautiful comedy with a lot more than laughs. With a great cast, good direction and audience who knew their part, the auditorium was all fun and games.
Naa Ashorkor assembled a team of dreamers, first timers and told an age old story of greed, opportunity, friendship, family, love and constant hustle of youthfulness in one show. At 4pm, the cast streamed through one after the other and the funny, at times witty and quotable lines flowing like no one’s business.
Based on two struggling friends looking for a breakthrough through a promotion, the narration takes you through their family responsibilities, troubles from their landlord who is not interested in their lies among other everyday evils. The James Ene Henshow play didn’t just attract an audience bored with the usual entertainment but also created the impression that theater was growing.
For people who love drama and believe in the essence of doing well above everything else, the theater is just the perfect platform for young creatives looking for their voice. In a fluid state, the drama amidst the comedy was as natural and real as they came.
For first time performers (at least for me), she did a phenomenal work but the one who stole the show was Alhaji Issaka played by Clemento Suarez. The former Performing Arts student of the University of Ghana channeled his academic brilliance into a performance that got not only the crowd happy but remains memorable.
Lead actors, David Chapman-Quayson and Oheneba Mensa-Bonsu owned and stole the show from beginning to end. For the rest of the cast, they did a great work by providing the room for them to explore, recreate and tell a story of the everyday Ghanaian without a hustle.
