Road, The
By Wole Soyinka
Year staged: 1965
Opening night: 14/09/1965
Theatre Company: Commonwealth Arts Festival
Staged in: Theatre Royal, Stratford East
Cast Size: 8
Synopsis
A transport depot garage by the road is where salvaged parts of crashed cars are sold by its owner The Professor, a former preacher and master forger obsessed with finding a mysterious spiritual truth called The Word. The Professor believes life can be understood by understanding death. The road is where fatal accidents occur, some possibly engineered by him. Drivers, touts and a corrupt policeman gather as the religious feast to honour the god Ogun takes place in which Murano, who was stuck by a lorry on the road and who hovers between life and death, can perform a ritual dance.
Original Cast
Rudolph Walker
Kotonu
Dapo Adelugba
Murano
Patrick Maddy
Chief-in-Town
Bari Jonson
Samson
Willie Jonah
Salubi
Horace James
Professor
Alton Kumalo
Say Tokyo Kid
Harcourt Curacao
Particulars Joe
Production Team
Ken Calder
Designer
David Thompson
Director
Andrew Brownfoot
Costume / Masks
Margaret Brownfoot
Costume / Masks