Bimbo Manuel: Many will Find Themselves in One or More of the Characters in ‘Philomena’

The all-star stage production, “Philomena” played in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for four days ending with a special Valentine edition on February 14. The play was written by Nollywood veteran Bimbo Manuel, who doubled as the director of the play. He tells Ferdinand Ekechukwu more about the production…

You are the writer, co-executive producer and director. Tell us about this production, its title and possibly take us through the creative process behind Philomena

It has been a bit of a process actually, starting from way back in 2018 when Monalisa and I decided to produce it after its First Reading at Freedom Park. For reasons neither Monalisa nor I could explain, it didn’t happen then and the play has since then gone into publication by Quramo Publishers and is due for release any time now. The play will be released as ‘Philomena: Interview With A Prostitute’. About the middle of 2021, Monalisa called me out of the blues and said we need to go back to ‘Philomena’. She said she just had not been able to get it out of her mind.

From that point, everything just went into overdrive, calls, casting, logistics, rehearsals, raising funds, etc. January 15, 2022, we were all gathered in Abuja for the first part of rehearsals, Charles Inojie, Monalisa Chinda, Francis Duru, Ejike Asiegbu from Lagos and Tammy Abusi, Don Kester from Port Harcourt. In casting, we wanted actors who fit the physical descriptions of the text, high creative sensitivity and good professional attitude. They all fit.

How did the idea for the story/play come about? Is it an adaptation?

It is not an adaptation. The play itself feeds off an actual interview I had with a stripper in the course of playing in a film in Abuja. I found the stripper’s story so compelling I wanted to develop a television series around it but decided on a stage play. I think more than any other medium, the stage allows us to lock the issues down in immortality and makes it available to more intellectual conversation.

Why Philomena on stage instead of screen? Are there any backstory on the play being staged in Port Harcourt?

Like I said, presenting ‘Philomena’ using the stage medium lends it to more intellectual and solution-focused conversation because, experience has taught that the stage, when you are able to bring them in, is one of those places where you can confront the rulers and decision-makers with the realities of society. We chose Port Harcourt for the World Premiere for a number of reasons. Like Monalisa, we attended school in Port Harcourt and I consider the city and Rivers State as home. Besides, Port Harcourt has always been one of the most art active cities in Nigeria. That decision has been helped by the generous support we have received across the state and city. It was an easy decision for us.

What was your directorial vision for the play?

Though the play itself was written for just three characters stuck in the poor shack where Philomena sells beers and runs her prostitution on the side, we have considered the timing of the presentation of the play, Valentine’s Day, and enlarged it to include extras that you would ordinarily find in such joints – prostitutes, drunks, etc. We have however maintained the psychological pressure of the space and each individual’s present situation, high energy movement, passionately rendered lines. We must maintain the pressure of time and space and the actors have entirely made the story their own. The audience and season have also been considered with a celebratory ambience outside and lively colors on stage.

The play revolves around the lives of three characters. Which would you say was the most fascinating or complex of the three?

This is hard to say because each of the characters is as complex as they would have been in real life, each one having been developed after some real life people I know growing up on the Lagos Island. Though they are all like my children and I would ordinarily not prefer one to the other, I however find the catalyst, Wesley, a most fascinating individual in the multi-layering of his persona.

Is this a one of show?

Oh no. We hope to visit Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan and other cities across the country because the core issues raised in the play are not selective of region, gender or social standing. They affect us all; the characters talk to us all.

It appears cinemas and tele-movies have taken over stage plays. What would you attribute as the cause?

I do not quite agree. The audience for stage tends to be different from those that have a definite preference for film and television. There was a big slump in theater culture in the country but that narrative has since changed thanks to the likes of Bolanle Austen-Peters, Wole Oguntokun, Ifeoma Fafunwa, Lala Akindoju, Bikiya Graham-Douglas and very many others. They ensured that theater never really died in Nigeria and it was in fact rapidly regaining its popularity and brands becoming more interested and willing to support it before the Covid pandemic dictated that we avoid social gathering. Even in spite of that, I am aware that some have found an effective marriage between stage performances and online streaming that allows those who are unable to make it into the theater to enjoy those organic performances from the comfort of their homes and on any number of tech equipment. I foresee however, a time in the not distant future when theater will return bigger, better than before. Like film and television, theater is also growing its own army of competent creatives who are daring and willing to push the boundaries.

What inherent lessons do you want the audience to learn from this play?

I think many people will find themselves in one or more of the characters of the play. Many will find that they do not stand alone in their similar life situations. We also cannot continue to abdicate our responsibilities to self and expect that society and government will continue to pick up the slack.