Fela Kuti’s Broadway Debut

Innovative, controversial and constantly cool, Fela Kuti was a pioneering Nigerian musician, a man with a message and a funky groove that influenced even James Brown. He is the creator of Afrobeat — a new blend of music combining jazz and funk with traditional African rhythms and highlife — and today he is known all over the world simply as Fela. Now he’s heading to Broadway.
 

 

 
Now, the artist and his legacy are being celebrated with a rousing combination of song and dance Fela!, a new Broadway show. The musical, currently playing at New York’s Eugene O’Neill Theater (230 W. 49th St., New York; 212-239-6200), is an adaptation of last year’s off-Broadway smash hit. The show is directed by dance legend Bill T. Jones, produced by power players Jay-Z and Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, and features the all-star Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra on backup. And it’s opened to seriously great reviews. This is one show we can’t wait to see.
 

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