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Namasagali old students reaffirm their worth in ‘Any Cow Will Do’
Nabwiso (R) and ‘Emma’ in Any Cow Will Do. Photo by Ismail Kezaala
Dada is very ecstatic about the return of his prodigal son, Kweruka (Roy Tumwizire), who had gone overseas to study. He brags about him to whoever cares to listen and goes ahead to organise a big feast for his return. He arranges for four brides for his son, from whom he can choose one to marry. Dada has no idea that Kweruka is returning with a big surprise for him.
Kweruka returns with a girl (Emma) from the city, one who makes his heart melt. She will tear them apart and go through a test from her father-in-law, before he can let her marry his Kweruka.
As a test for Emma’s faithfulness, Dada hires Curl (Mathew Nabwiso) to lure Emma to fall in love with him. Emma, however, passes the test and she is allowed to marry Kweruka.
The play is laced with musical performances led by Freda Lwanga and other old students who still manage to execute good command of the stage. The play echoes the annual plays that used to be produced at Namassagali during the era of Father Damien Grimes.
Tumwizire certainly proves that size has nothing to do with dance, as he displays masterly dance strokes. He flows and twists his body to the amazement of the audience.
Raymond Rushabiro, who plays Dada, has a natural flow of wit which keeps the audience laughing at each statement he utters.
The musical performances were an icing on the cake for the play that brings back a lot of memories of the old Namasagali day. The different dancers also demonstrate good use of the stage as they dance in unison, spread out before finding their partners again. The ladies dance gracefully, despite the energetic requirements of some performances. They display different dance moves and make good use of the stage.
The audience occasionally claped and cheered for their favourite dancers. There is good choreography work done on the dances and the different costumes bring out the characters in the performances.
However, the stage lighting left a lot to be desired. Other actors could not be heard, given that there were no microphones for them. The play drags on a bit but still manages to keep the audience entertained.
