TOE TO TOE

The noise started last year, and with the dawn of March, it was time for words to morph into action as the V Monologues and Wole Oguntokun’s Tarzan Monologues came to life on the stage of the weekly Theatre at Terra Series at the Victoria Island-based terra Kulture. Since Eve Enlser’s Vagina Monologues had been adapted to the Nigerian V Monologues, it had witnessed a handful of performances with a sprinkling of popular actresses. The arrival of the male version via Wole Oguntokun’s Tarzan Monologues followed in 2009 and its quest for bragging rights commenced with a month of performances at Terra Kulture with names like Bimbo Manuel, O.C Ukeje, Paul Alumona, Precious Anyanwu Marcous and Kunle Adeyoola. And just when you were thinking the Tarzan Monologues was and end to the sexual jousting bedevilling both plays, the next thing was a blend of both plays into one performance.
Initially, it sounded too good to be true as the Wole Oguntokun and the Kudirat Initiative set to work but as soon a cast crackling with names like Ego Obaro, Kate Henshaw-Nuttal, Ireti Doyle, Katherine Edoho, Adunni Nepheriti and …King were set to join the men, all you had to do was sit back and anticipate the resolution of this pleasing problem, just like others in a filled hall which also had Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka in attendance.
And the wait was not long as the 14 characters emerge from everywhere amidst drum beats and changing lights. Clad in black costumes and with some traditional embellishments, there is a conscious appeal to contemporariness despite a grim hue which adds strength to the themes of tragedy that will come later in the play.
Modernity is also fitted into most of the statements despite some unsavoury throwbacks and somewhat vulgar diction. As always, Oguntokun’s manipulation of time sees the story as close to the present as possible. This is discernible with some terms that give an inkling of socio-political events are currently rocking the global community-interludes that offer some comic relief which go in sync with the vocal pugilism between the sexes. The ladies are first and this commences a ding-dong plot of statements and refutations as each character will change roles to accommodate the diverse elements within the play.
Some situations are peculiar to both sexes though as the male child syndrome puts the women in a dilemma but the men also suffer. While the male is a victim of the nocturnal desires of a wife desperately in need of a male child to gain relevance from her in-laws, the husband is tired of losing sleep over the need to constantly copulate. Kemi “Lala” Akindoju’s outpouring about her daddy shows the good and bad sides of fatherhood, a grim prognosis which is similar to those of Precious Anyanwu Marcous’s, except that the female will kill her dad for abusing her, rather than admire him like her male counterpart will. This is not the only iron hand clad in a soft glove though as it seems abuse is common to all of the women with widowhood, beatings, trafficking and violation running through deliveries by Ego Obaro, Ireti Doyle, Kemi “Lala” Akindoju and Kate Henshaw. Their reactions also expose traditional practices as the woman is portrayed as no more than a pawn whose value is underscored by a melange of caustic episodes like child loss, rape, and constant deception caused by the male who is made out as an ogre incapable of nothing more than transcendental evil. Fortunately, the women are not all angels as the interlude involving Ego Obaro’s widowhood and a later scene with Ireti Doyle sees them turn against two of their own while depicting the bestiality akin to all members of the human race. An interesting psychological dimension made more enjoyable with songs from sonorous Adunni Nefertiti and interesting choreography which gives more appeal to the unsavoury episodes.
The men are also victims too. Apart from arriving at the isolation and feebleness of his persona, there is a discovery that all that makes him a man can also ferry him to his grave. This crucible comes with an inevitable contention with the mind-boggling ways of women. Moral content and lessons are not in short supply as each argument by one side is blown out of the water by another member of the opposite sex. This evokes different emotions from the audience as the changing fate of the characters will evoke pity, sympathy, laughter and disgust.
At some point the feud gives way to agreements as menopause, premature ejaculation and the appreciation of the other sex are convergences for both sides. There is also the notion of ‘enjoying it while it lasts’, an ideology that makes Kunle Adeyoola the victim of hard-fibered Ireti Doyle’s wealth. Cradle snatching also peculiar to the men but the label seems otherwise when Bimbo Manuel argues that a lady old enough to vote is old enough to choose her partner, even if he is an older sexy grey. Escape also comes up an option for the faint-hearted like Sola Roberts Iwaotan but his dream of foreign freedom would change if he could tap from Kemi “Lala” Akindoju’s Italian sojourn. Rationality and outright ridicule also go together and it is no wonder that …King’s commentaries about the female orifice seem disgusting but true as she reels out a list of possibilities for the female orifice, towards the end of the piece. At this point she sounds inaudible and perhaps it is due to her personal aversion to her statements or just the noise from the audience cat calls. The play reaches its head with the narration of a long list of male and female stereotypes and ends with the song “Lean on Me”, a unifying tune for all the characters. After two hours of bickering, the only sensible direction for both sexes is as complements rather than competitors. This covert theme of no victor, no vanquished also packs a more appealing diction. Away from some flashes of vulgarity, it is descriptive enough to make the audience feel the cast as they reel out experience after experience. However, some pieces are still missing from the whole monologue puzzle and the organisers might have to address this issue and that of getting a bigger venue if the premiere scenes give way to bigger things.