Id love to tell you all about this production of the Lion and Jewel at Zoo, but its actually proved very difficult to find any information as the company didnt provide a press release or programme. This is symptomatic of a production that did not come across as being completely ready for a Fringe appearance. It is also listed under musicals despite having no songs and limited musical content.
The Lion and the Jewel is a play from the 1960s by Africa's major dramatist, Wole Soyinka. It is set in an African village in which Sidi, the Jewel and village beauty is being courted by Lakunle, a young teacher, who has been influenced by western ways. Baroka (the Lion) is village chief and Sadiku, the eldest of Baroka's wives, conspire to bring Sidi to Baroka, each for their own reasons.
The show is presented by Netela Theatre Dalia a group from Jerusalem, with Ethiopian and Palestinian actors. Without a programme or the explanation above, or an understanding African village life it was hard to engage with the story particularly in understanding if there was significance in the casting of Baroka and Lakunle who were both played by (I presume) Palestinian members of the company.
There were some spirited performances particularly from Sidi and those playing the school children. However, the staging was not working well and an extended pause in the middle of the performance for a small set change was excessive. The music selected to accompany the show was also bizarre at one point moving into what sounded like a theme from a 1980s Sci-fi tv show.
I would have liked to see this play brought up to date to reflect the company playing it - the entry in the Fringe programme draws connections between the traditional African culture and western values and the parallels that this has for the performers as Ethiopian and Palestinians, but these dont seem to have been played out in the production. With some more work along these lines, combined with more confident staging and more fitting sound, the show could be much improved.
