Melodrama Can't Sink 'Wedlock'

We've seen it before: Young, attractive, unwed girl gets pregnant. Overly-virile boy pledges undying love to her, which she cautiously reciprocates. Both sets of parents are horrified to no end. They want--at all costs--to put a stop to this unwholesome union. The Black Community and Student Theater's production of "Wedlock of the Gods," a Nigerian play by Nwazulu Sofola, treads very, very familiar ground in its dealings with a passionate relationship that is condemned by deeply rooted, traditional standards of moral conduct. But for those not familiar with West African culture, the show is enlightening and entertaining

Ogwama (Tonika Cheek '99), recently widowed, has violated a serious law which mandates a specified period of mourning. Rather than pay the proper respects to her husband's spirit which mysteriously "still wanders in the bush," she cavorts with Uloko (Jerry Legagneur '98), a fellow villager, and soon becomes pregnant by him.

The difficult situation is made even more unpleasant because, according to custom, Ogwama should automatically become the wife of her brother-in-law. Ogwama refuses this unfair fate (evidently, she is a firm believer of the love match) and shortly thereafter inspires the scary wrath of Odibei (Crescent Muhammad '97), her mother-in-law. Odibei is especially interested in shuttling Ogwama to her eagerly awaiting son, since the marriage to her other son did not produce offspring. Unless you're an insensitive ogre, after about the first half-hour your sympathies lie with Ogwama and Uloko; you root for their love-- conveyed convincingly by the actors--even though the culture will eventually destroy it.

As the vengeful mother-in-law, whose scowl could knock down a tree, Muhammad gives the most memorable performance. She is engaging and her movements across the stage purposeful and powerful. One could only wish to have a mother so fiercely loyal that she would be so bad in an effort to defend one's post-mortem honor. Cheek and Legagneur transmit their characters' annoying qualities of boundless naivete and excessive idealism very well, though in general both were lacking in subtlty of emotion (not a serious liability in a melodrama of this magnitude). Legagneur's Gratuitous Shirtless Scene provided a clue to the audience as to why Ogwama would be willing to give up so much for this beefy guy.

But all the beef and tears are for naught. Odibei turns toward the spirit world and takes care of everything. With the help of a concoction, she manages to hypnotize Ogwama and has her drink a pot of poison. She dies. Uloko discovers his beloved's lifeless body and sips some of the deadly liquid. He dies.

Besides the melodramatic ending, Sofola's script is riddled with small problems. It is not clear when this play takes place. Phrases like "don't go there" clash with stilted English, making it difficult to figure out if this taking place in the 1990's or some other decade. Is Ogwama acting on behalf of a larger West African women's movement struggling to define themselves not as property but as human individuals? Or is she just another rebelious, lovestruck teenager?

These questions are, for the most part, left unanswered. Sofola wants to raise political questions without espousing a political spirit, opting instead for the power of the emotional uppercut, espcially evident in the final scene. Although admirable in its density, the hour-long, show feels abbreviated; the double death takes care of loose ends too conveniently.

It is unfortunate that the talented cast and good production team didn't have a richer text from which to work. The rest fit together nicely: the set was functional and served its purpose, the costumes were gorgeous, the supporting actors projected well and provided some moments of comic relief. Despite its script "Wedlock of the Gods" is a thought provoking, appealing show.