The Nairobi Institute of Music and Performing Arts (NIMPA) ensured theatre lovers based in Nairobi wrapped their 2021 in a hilarious but edutaining way through a theatrical show New Year, New Wife. The play written and directed by Boniface Kanyuira was staged at NIMPA theatre on December 30 and December 31, 2021.
Cheating in marriages is a serious issue, especially during festival periods like December, where married individuals ghost their long-time partners to elope with new lovers. At the onset of the play, we hardly know what to expect as we only see a beautiful house servant Valentine (Ivy Wambui), going about her daily routine. Moments later, everyone in the auditorium is forced to turn back to look at Dickson (Kenneth Becker), who comes to the stage from the back of the auditorium. Dickson is blind, and we have to patiently watch him stroll to the scene by the guide of his walking stick.
When Dickson finally reaches upstage, confusion seeps in as he now thinks and addresses Valentine, his housemaid, as his wife, Maria. Valentine repeatedly tells Dickson that she is not his wife but their maidservant. Dickson insists that Valentine is his wife, and he asks her that they should "do it," which leaves the audience's minds boggled for some seconds. We later realize that Dickson is requesting Valentine to shower with him. We learn that Dickson and his wife Maria used to shower together through their conversations. However, Maria started drinking heavily, and Valentine took up her place as Dickson's showering partner. It is now clear that Dickson has been cheating on Maria with Valentine.
In the play's second act, Kris (Marvin) and his wife Mercy ( Janice Kihara) arrive to check up on Dickson as they believe he needs constant monitoring ever since his eyes stopped seeing. Kris is Dickson's brother. They find Dickson in a worse mental state apart from being blind. Dickson now refers to Mercy as Maria, his wife, and he even wants to grab her by force, something that angers Kris.
Kris suggests that they give Dickson a sleep-inducing drug so that he does not bother anyone. However, Kris' motive is to kill his brother Dickson to inherit the family property. Just when the audience is now wondering where Dickson's wife has been all along, Maria(Mary Muthoni) is walked in by their apartments caretaker, Kimunya (Collins Mugera). Maria is very drunk, and it is clear that Kimunya is her drinking buddy and her new boyfriend. Maria has been taking advantage of her husband's blindness to drink silly and have extramarital affairs with Kimunya.
At the play's climax, things go haywire when it is revealed that Kimunya, the caretaker, has also been having an affair with Mercy, Kris' wife. What a soft life by just an apartment caretaker! Kimunya proudly exclaims, "Mimi sibakishangi," meaning he leaves no stone unturned. An annihilating moment reaches when Maria stabs Mercy and hunts down Valentine to kill her for having an affair with her husband. Kris arrives with a gun to shoot his brother Dickson as he thinks he has also been having an affair with his wife. However, Valentine rescues Dickson when he hits Kris with a heavy blunt object, and he drops down, releasing the gun.
Dickson also surprises everyone by confirming that he has been seeing everything since his blindness and madness were just a ploy to unravel all these dirty secrets about infidelity surrounding his family and that of his brother.
In the end, every character chants, "I hate you, I love you," to reveal the complex love-hate relationship among them due to cheating. Dickson fires up a gun in the sky to calm everyone and mark the play's ending.
Indeed, tackling a severe matter like cheating in relationships and marriages using art requires a creative and edutaining approach, just like New Year New Wife.
Joseph Obel is a performing arts reviewer, screenwriter, and dance choreographer. Joseph holds a Bachelor's degree in Theatre Arts and Film Production from Kenyatta University. You can connect with him directly through jphochieng@gmail.com.