KSM returns as John Toyo
It is just as well that KSM did not get round to retiring from the stage as he threatened to do a couple of years ago. Else, theatre lovers who are currently preparing to watch his latest show, Confessions of a GH Man next Saturday at the National Theatre will have nothing to look forward to.
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Gratefully, that “crazy” idea about retirement has been abandoned or perhaps shelved to be revisited another day but for now, it remains a delight for theatre enthusiasts to see KSM, Ghana’s undisputable Master of Satire, to be back on his feet.
His earlier stage adventures have yielded unforgettable and perhaps even “unforgivable” characters such as Lasisi, B. K. Oduro and Afia Siriboe. The performances which featured these characters, featured the man himself, KSM, playing these roles.
With the forthcoming Confessions of a GH Man, producers, Sapphire, say audiences should expect something different from the usual stand-up comedy stuff.
It may not be too different, except that the producers say KSM goes back to his early one-man play style, loaded with outrageous humour and satire. “This is not a straight through stand-up comedy. This is more of a hybrid, a cross between stand up and a full one-man comedy play,” they say.
Patrons who have been following KSM long enough may still remember his hugely successful ‘saga of the returnee’ with which KSM made his entrée onto the Ghana stage after a long stay in the US. It is not exactly clear whether the forthcoming “Confessions of a GH Man” follows that style of presentation.
What is certain, however, is that for the first time, KSM is being directed by his sister, Anima Misa Amoah, an actress in her own right and a directing major from the Legon School of Performing Arts.
Two things come to mind when Anima Misa Amoah’s name is mentioned. For the older generation (and maybe some of their children), it is her role as Aba in the evergreen movie Love Brewed in the African Pot.
For the much, much younger generation, it is as the matriarch of the Adams family in Adams Apples, as Mrs Adams. Though known primarily for her acting roles, she is also a writer and director.
KSM is confident that the audience will be thrilled. “This is a man’s story, being directed by a woman and that brings some very interesting and refreshing perspectives to the characterisation”, he says.
“Thas has been a very difficult one, but we had fun putting it together and the audience will have a ball”.
Confessions of a GH Man will run as a double show on Saturday, May 3, at the National theatre; 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. prompt. KSM shows always start on time.