Music Theatre Wales and Fio have come together to create a freshnew pop-up food and opera experience to show that opera can tell anyone’s story if it is cooked up in the most creative way possible.
This spicy combination of hip-hop with soprano voice, built on a real- life tale and layered with characters caught in a high-pressure state, will entertain and surprise you with performances in Haverfordwest, Wrexham and Cardiff this month. Chef Adeola, played by Tumi Williams with his signature baritone and lyrical dexterity is feeling the heat, and we’re not talking pepper soup! With the pressures of a new business, a lockdown baby and an upcoming food safety inspection by Sade played by former entrant at Cardiff Singer of the World representing England, Gweneth Ann Rand. Her operatic vocals combine perfectly with Williams hip hop in a short sharp 15 minute production. But how is our budding foodie entrepreneur going to cope?
The House of Jollof Opera is a live musical experience serving a Nigerian delicacy, Jollof, (100% vegan) in places of communal gathering across Wales. It’s a journey in taste, aroma and rhythms in this one-of-a-kind show. Williams is renowned as being frontman to Cardiff 8-piece afro-funk and hip-hop collective Afro-Cluster with their debut album being released in 2021 and performing at Green Man. He is one of the UK’s most important emcees as Skunkadelic. A recent feature with Bristol funk and soul duo The Allergies received national radio play and emerged as one of UK’s most Shazammed tracks in 2021.
Gweneth Ann Rand is an acclaimed operatic performer currently Associate Artist at Wigmore Hall. Her recent work has been heard in 4.48 Psychosis for The Royal Opera/Lyric Hammersmith, Prototype Festival in New York, Opera National du Rhin and Philharmonie de Paris and Serena Porgy and Bess, and Mother Baily It’s A Wonderful Life for English National Opera. She is also noted as an exponent of the works of Messiaen, in particular his song cycles Harawi and Poemes pour mi. Michael McCarthy, Director of MTW said ‘’MTW is all about re- imagining opera and we couldn’t be happier with the way Tumi Williams and Sita Thomas grasped the opportunity to create something so remarkable, refreshing and meaningful. This really does get opera out of its box’’
The show is written and performed by Welsh-Nigerian artist Tumi Williams and also stars acclaimed soprano Gweneth Ann Rand. Directed by Welsh-Indian Sita Thomas, The House of Jollof Opera is a true celebration of modern, multicultural Cymru. Based on the Celtic Film Award-winning short film by the same creators for MTW’s New Directions programme, The House of Jollof Opera was created to shake up and reshape conceptions of opera and live artistic performance as well as address inequities in access to art and culture.
The tour starts this week - for available tickets, please see individual links - HaverHub, Haverfordwest: Thursday 16 February, 1.15pm, 3pm, 6pm The House of Jollof Opera: a live pop-up experience - Span Arts (span-arts.org.uk)
Tŷ Pawb, Wrexham: Saturday 18 February, 1pm, 3pm, 6pm The House of Jollof Opera - Tŷ Pawb (typawb.wales)
The Tramshed, Cardiff: (SOLD OUT) Sunday 26 February, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm The House of Jollof Opera at The Tramshed, Cardiff Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite
A co-production by MTW and Fio and supported by ACW, Esmée Fairbairn Trust (Fio) and Garfield Weston (MTW). MTW and Fio are grateful for support from ACW.
