MANASSEH’S FOLDER: How Reggie N Bollie inspired Ebo Whyte’s ONE MILLION POUNDS

A scene from One Million Pounds

Somewhere in Osu sit about one hundred people. Today is Sunday, but they are not worshipers. Or rather, they are worshipers, but they are not here to worship. Call them worshipers of theatre arts. There is no pastor here.

The most distinguished among them is Prof. Akua Kuenyehia, a Ghanaian lawyer who served as a judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) from 2003 to 2015. She also served as first vice-president of the Court.

The rest are some selected journalists and the cast and crew of the Roverman Production. A handful of Roverman’s production who, due to travel schedules, are bound to miss James Ebo Whyte’s latest play, One Million Pounds.

At about 4:20 pm, the unassuming James Ebo Whyte appears in his red Roverman Production customized shirt over a white pair of trousers and brown shoes. He isn’t coming to introduce the play. He has come to introduce the ritual his production team goes through before rehearsals. Before they begin their rehearsal, they learn a life lesson. Today Uncle Ebo Whyte talks about the test people face on their way to the top.

A lot of the examples he gives and those the participants give are from the Bible. Joseph. David. Samson. Paul. Name them. Some passed their test. Others failed. And ruined their chances. Uncle Ebo Whyte says many people face various tests in life. Whether they rise or fall depends on how they deal with such tests. If Joseph had failed the test from Potiphar’s wife, he would not have gotten to great heights.

A hand shoots out when Uncle Ebo Whyte asks whether the audience have any questions to ask. A young woman wants to know who does the testing. Is it the devil? Ebo Whyte believes the answer is life. He says we should not always blame the devil. Life tests us and when we fail the test, we also fail to reach our destinies. He says after some streak of failures, the destinies of greatness can be taken from one family to the other.

But we are here for more than the lesson life teaches about tests. We are here to see the rehearsal of Uncle Ebo Whyte’s latest play, One Million Pounds and critique it. He tells us to enjoy tunes from the band. At 5PM, the play will begin. And if you have attended Roverman production’s events before, you will realise they don’t joke with their time.

So at 5:00 pm, the stage lightens up. The music booms. A shrill voice pierces the ear from behind. We turn to see who owns that voice. A muscular young man is carrying a pretty young lady on his shoulders. By the time they get onto the stage, ten or so others join them. A frantic dance rocks the audience and sets the auditorium ablaze with excitement.

The dancers are beautifully costumed. Here, two things will catch your attention – the beauty of the well-coordinated dance and beauty of the dancers. The ladies will find it difficult to take their eyes off the well-built young men with their six packs. And the men cannot take their eyes off the well-shaped contours of the African beauties, with their skins the colour of groundnut paste. Those are sights that can cause you to revoke a celibacy vow if you are not REALLY strong.

One Million Pounds starts with a bang! The real act happens afterwards. It is a story inspired by the success of Regie N Bollie’s success in the British music talent show, X-Factor. Uncle Ebo Whyte says the euphoria that greeted the sensational Ghanaian group inspired the play. But the storyline is not about them.

The Ghanaian group in the play, Jama, has gained a lot of support from over the world. They have braved all the odds and are in the finals of the most prestigious reality show in Great Britain. They are tipped to win.

But there is a sinister power broker who does not think an African side deserves to win. Some sponsors will not be happy, he says. If Jama, the group from Ghana competes in the final, however, they are likely to win. So this nocturnal character invites the leader of the Ghanaian Team, Nii, to bribe him so that he will withdraw from the competition with an excuse.

When he is reminded that the amount he is about to pay is nothing compared with what the group will get when they win, he says the African does not care about honour. They like money. And peanuts. You pay a person for what he bargains for and not what he is worth, he says.

How much has Nii taken? Will he succeed in swaying other members of the team to succumb to his corruptible ways? Are they susceptible to corruption, the canker that has ruined Africans and reduced us to a bunch of second-rate beings in the global stage?

A scene from the play

With the usual lesson-laden dialogues spiced with humour, music and dance, Uncle Ebo Whyte’s latest play also provides lessons that will leave you thinking how we connive with our leaders to impoverish the nation.

One Million Pounds provides many lessons. Kafui and Olive nearly had their relationship ruined by Kafui’s ex-girlfriend. Those having relationship can learn.

Kafui’s value for integrity is admirable. And his insistence on the RIGHT thing to be done even when he is in the minority will teach you the importance of sticking to the most treasured but scarce value in our republic.

One Million Pounds is the biggest side attraction in this season as we remember the redemptive death of Christ Jesus. I watched just the rehearsal. But I can’t miss the real show. And I hope to see you after the show. With a bottle of sobolo as we discuss how we can apply the lessons in One Million Pounds in order to move our nation forward.

The writer, Manasseh Azure Awuni, is a senior broadcast journalist with Joy 99.7FM. His email address is [email protected].