Dear Kaffy: Diary of a Single Woman follows Kikelomo, who keeps falling for men who let her down, while her parents and sister ask the question every single woman dreads: when are you getting married? Her two best friends hold her together through it, and this Lagos-meets-London musical shows exactly where that cycle can lead.
Directed by Bolanle Austen-Peters, the casting alone tells you how good this production is. Uzoma Oluchi Osimkpa anchors the whole show, with a chemistry that threads through each scene with every actor. Akah Nnani (the bad boy you can’t help but like) and Mike Afolarin (feels so good, before he feels so bad) both play men who let her down, convincingly enough that you feel it. Then there’s Floyd Igbo, the one who might have actually been good for her; his steeze is palpable, and you can feel the audience willing her to see it every time he’s on stage. Toyin Abraham lights up the stage as Mummy, Lookman Sanusi is brilliant as Daddy, and Yewande Osamein, as big sister Tolani, gives the tough love only an older sibling gets away with. If you have a big sister, you’ll know her instantly.
It’s a musical, and the singing matches the acting beat for beat, especially from Banké Naya and Abiolatime, who play Kike’s best friends. Both sing as well as they act, and when they let go vocally, you feel it in your chest. The costumes, all African-inspired with a pop of red running through them, are stunning, and there are pops of Yoruba through the dialogue without losing anyone who doesn’t speak it.
You never see the live band, but you feel every beat and every key change; you know they’re there. Screen visuals pull you in further, and the audience doesn’t just watch; people respond out loud, the way you would with people who feel like your own friends.
Funny, thoughtful, occasionally painful, and completely universal. Take your girls, take a date, take your parents; there’s something in it for all of you.
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