Ayo-Dele’s performance was outstanding. Becoming gave her a wonderful opportunity to showcase her acting, play-writing, singing and song-writing talent and she showed her audience her excellence at each of these.
I first became aware of Ayo-Dele Edwards in 2005/6 when I first heard the Gospel group GK Real, I remember an acoustic version of ‘From The Heart’ which featured Ayo-Dele on lead vocals and enjoyed the rich tone and beauty of her voice. Seven years later, I bought her first solo album ‘Forever Becoming’ which I still enjoy listening to, particularly the tracks sung in Yoruba, I do not understand the words but appreciate the beauty of her voice and the melody. Last year I saw her acting in ‘The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives’ at the Arcola Theatre. As a result, my wife and I arrived with expectations of being entertained but these were exceeded with a breath-taking performance which was at times moving, at other times witty and enthralling throughout.
This was a one-woman autobiographical play featuring some of the songs from ‘Forever Becoming’, a story of personal growth, learning, love, fear and acceptance of change. The evening started with a witty announcement in a Nigerian accent regarding mobile phones before Ayo-Dele entered the auditorium from the back of the tiered seating, offering chocolates to some of the audience as she took the stage.
The play covered the challenges of childhood, her early schooling as a British girl in Nigeria and her secondary schooling as a Nigerian in Britain. It moves on to the challenges of adult life including being abandoned by the father of her child, finding a husband and being re-united with her father after twenty years.
Ayo-Dele left the stage to a standing ovation climbing to the top of the banked seating, handing out her remaining chocolates. She returned to the stage and received more rapturous and thanked her musical director (husband Emmanuel) and percussionist.
The acting was superb, the songs were beautifully delivered and she adopted the accents of her relatives and teachers, from Nigerian to South London very effectively. The performance was honest, heartfelt and endearing. We left with a knowledge of who Ayo-Dele is and how she got there.
The only other one person musical plays I have seen featured Apphia Campbell ‘Black is the Color of My Voice’ and ‘Woke’ and this year they got a West End run in the Trafalgar Studios. Becoming is equally as good and I hope audiences across the country will be given the opportunity to see Ayo-Dele perform.
Johns London Music Reviews 