Suspense, drama and music took centre-stage at the premiere of Ghanaian Playwright Latif Abubakar’s ‘Five Hours with Mario’. The play, which is an adaptation of renowned Spanish Writer Miguel Delibes novel, tells the story of a wife who loves her husband but hates everything about him.
The plot starts with wailing from Dzidzor, who watches over the body of her husband, Mario, as she recounts moments of their 20 years old marriage together, and their conflicts throughout the marriage. She sheds light on their respective personalities and how much she loved him but hated everything he stood for.
Considered as reflection to humanity, the play sought to portray how people hold others to their mistakes and shortfalls while covering up their own shortcomings. Fused with comedy, the music, props and costumes, as well as the language were carefully selected to portray the Ghanaian and Afrocentric culture.
The play, which combined traditional and contemporary art, compared the authenticity of rural and urban life. Arguably, the first adaptation to the Ghanaian and Afrocentric stages, the one cast play seeks to make an impact not only in Ghana and Spain but across the world.
International relationships
Latif Abubakar said, among other things, the play is expected to spark international relationships with the Embassy of Spain and Globe Productions at deepening the Spain-Ghana relationship beyond traditional trades to arts and culture.
The playwright, who was optimistic about the opportunities the play had to offer, said the adaptation of the play was a challenge that had proved worthwhile. “For us, at Globe Productions, this is a make or break for us, and I am happy to say that it has been worth it,” he said. “We have just begun and the future of international relationships for Ghana’s theatre industry looks exciting,” he added.
Javier Gutiérrez, the Spanish Ambassador who described the adaptation as an improvement of the original novel, said the play would deepen the relationship between Ghana and Spain. “This is the beginning of a new relationship; and we, at the Spanish Embassy, are proud to be part of it,” he said.
He expressed appreciation to the cast and crew for a good performance, and was hopeful about the impact of the play on humanity.
Experience
Some patrons who trooped the conference centre to watch the play shared their experiences about it. For Christopher Dakpe, the play lived up to expectations despite the suspense. “It is my first time watching a monologue and I must admit that it was impressive,” he said.
Another patron, Edem Dandzo, said the play touched on some Ghanaian values and culture. “Even though it is an adaptation of a Spanish novel, everything about it was Ghanaian, and that, for me, was awesome,” he said.
Produced by Latif Abubakar, the play was directed by Jojo Tetteh-Quantson, with support from Solomon Fixon Owoo.
