Nollywood Dreams
, playing at Round House Theatre, is that women-centered escapist story. The set is a kaleidoscope turntable of three sets
Ayamma’s big dreams of breaking into the Nigerian film industry do not outsize her boisterous body language.
who always has a smart remark at the ready, is reduced to a series of squeaks when he gets near.
Ayamma makes it her mission to snag the lead role as the wife of a duplicitous man in the melodrama
The Comfort Zone
against all odds
Bioh also doesn’t leave catfight tropes undisturbed. It’s hard not to enjoy Fayola and Ayamma’s audition knockout rounds at Gbenga’s studio
or the awkward sidesteps of Wale and Gbenga when they find themselves caught in unfriendly fire.
ensuring there’s no clear winner for audience empathy. Behind the shades and kayfabe of cold glamour
Their backstory unfolds and unveils the longtime wound beneath Fayola’s hardness.
The Comfort Zone
story within the story makes
Nollywood Dreams
a dual win when the characters
and
their film characters triumph.
The rom-com within the play of the same genre likewise doubles the laughter