mofayathemusical.com

Hi,
This place is soooooooooooooooooo cold. we are seriously about to start wearing all our clothes at the same time. the sun is out but its so breezy it might as well just snow! Fake sun!!!
Anyway, i was not initially on the list to blog but i figured someone had to represent the girls in the show and prove that we were not just getting our sexy back, although after 16 hrs on the plane it IS a little necessary.
We have had an amazing time here and even with all the pressure that comes with being a long way from home with a diverse group of people, all of whom are incredibly talented, working very hard to deliver. it has been a wonderful experience.
Our first half of shows is done and we have gotten some pretty good reviews. Granted there were a lot of slip ups but what i like about the cast is the fire in their eyes guaranteeing a kick ass show next time. This musical only gets better.
A group of 10 was able to represent 1 million people, being overly skeptical, that in itself is an achievement i will look back on with a proud smile on my face. I cant wait to see how the Kenyan audience responds to this Musical.

I am not a girl of many words..(if you watched the show cue laugh, if not come out and see it) so i will leave you with this, When we get home please meet us at the airport with Nyama choma and some sunshine that actually has heat… i am deathly serious. till then, Adios.

Nonnie

Watscrackilackin’ ma peeps! That’s New Yorkese for top of the morning to ya Guvnor!Its Monday here in New York on week 2 of the Mo Faya tour, and guys just got their per diems for the week so its party central up in here-Strip clubs on the house for everyone!- just kidding. you know, human behaviour rarely changes no matter where you are, and the first question you ax yo’self after such a payday is- where do i spend this loot? Now, one of the first things you notice about New York is the wide abundance of food outlets, whether its the Junk food joints like Macdonalds, Burger King and KFC or the Lebanese guy selling Hummus (I thought it looked like hot manure so I haven’t tasted it) by the side of the road.Now you have to understand that food is top in the mind of any Kenyan with money in a strange environment, and the Mo faya cast have food choices that match their personalities. For Ricky the Bass guitarist, cooking Ugali from yellow cornflour (si unga ya ugali hapa) is the order of the day- packed with enough calories to carry a bass guitarist through the New York marathon. Now, I know kenyans are used to the smell of ugali, but its pretty mind-boggling to smell it in uptown Manhattan, with goat stew to boot! But hey, everyone has their own diet. For the young at heart like Dan the choreographer aka karis, Burgers and fries are the order of the day ( its surprising how some people don’t gain any weight!), while for Atemi, it seems the burger diet is on hold after she ate the Burger King Whopper burger and couldn’t summon the extra energy to get on the subway, and it took Mumbi’s intervention to save the day! Just kiddin, but the sheer availability of Junk food (by kenyan standards) here is amazing.If it isn’t the crisps, its the cookies,if not its the bacon, if not its the king size sodas for two bucks- my God! i think we’ll all get double chins by the time we get back! I mean, just the other day i ate a KFC 4 piece chicken meal and the coating on the bird (I call it a bird coz i’m still not sure whether it was a turkey or ostrich-but definitely not your average chicken!) was so thick, I felt a heart attack coming after the third bite.So this week I have vowed to correct the situation- One fruit after each burger and a vitamin supplement after after each dose of chicken! That should balance the scales!I’m Out!
Joshua aka OTI.

Hallo, musical fans!Its Joshua here again, otherwise known as OTI, OCS-and maybe even OCD. It is sunday night here in in New York, exactly seven days since we first landed, and the cast of Mo Faya seems to have gotten over its jet lag and general culture shocK and is starting to behave like New Yorkers. Marvin the Drummer seems to have picked up the local drawl and is already in shoulda, woulda, coulda,wanna, gonna mode, while Rama the stage manager finally knows the difference between a quarter and a dime, and doesn’t pronounce it “Dimmeh” (highly confusing to the chinese grocer next door)-i can’t believe they count cents here, the last time kenyans did it was before Goldenberg!Anyway, Eric’s angels i.e melissa,val and atemi seem to have got their sexy back(it was temporarily put outaa sync by the 16 hour flight) and now are tempting men all over Broadway with their african charms.However, despite the great difference between New York and Nairobi, there are some things that all cities share, for example the propensity of dogs to pee on the street at the most inappropriate time, whether in Karen or manhattan-the dog with its right leg raised, head cocked and the owner going noooooo… in slow motion!another thing is the lack of smiles in public transport. If you thought Nairobi was bad, travel in the New York subway, its like guys are all in the matrix and they are receiving subliminal messages from the machine through their Ipods! Yaani everyone is in their own small world completely oblivious of their neighbour. I’m planning to flash my butt just to test their response time! But enough about New York for now, more tomorrow. As far as the show is concerned,our last show this week(on saturday the 4th) was so far the best attended and house was 87% full, with next weeks shows on wednesday and saturday filling up fast, so if you are reading this and want a ticket, better start buying now-or look for a crackhead with a ticket and who needs money for a fix on the day! I’m Out!

Greetings to all from the land of the free and the home of the brave!we’re definitely acquainted with the free part, but the brave…. now, moving on swiftly, the mo faya team is starting to build some momentum, after the jet lag, culture shock and a technical rehearsal within hours of landing!The first show of course had a few glitches here and there,of course some forgotten cues, fatigue as well as generally getting used to the performance space-which, though small is highly efficient, good sound and very helpful crew. Of course one of the things that we were iffy about was whether the audience would understand a word of what we were saying(and whether we had to speak Hollywood Swahili,i.e KUJARR HAPARR etc) but the first audience seemed to get the play, and the Lingala dance sequence at the end if Act 1 caused a few blood pressures to go up(and marriages collapse)! But all in all, now having done two shows, the cast seems confident (and less sleepy).Let me sign off for now, as I go enjoy an electricity rationing and water rationing-less life( I had to rub that in for the Kenyans reading this). We have a show at 8 o’clock tonight and another at 1pm on saturday, so if you are a Kenyan in the New york Area or any other interested party, make your way down to the TBG Theatre!
I’m Out,
Joshua.

DJ Lwanda’s voice rings out daily on local radio, leading and inspiring the Nairobi community of Kwa Maji. But Anna Mali, an avaricious real estate diva, craves the land beneath their slum. She seduces the fiery young DJ away with a job at a top nationwide station, and organizes a violent campaign to terrorize the people of Kwa Maji. When the government and media turn a blind eye to the decapitated bodies in the streets, DJ Lwanda must return home to expose the truth. But at what cost?

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!