By Bernard Yaw ASHIADEY
To the
regular attendants it was one of those nights that the legend has delivered yet
another masterpiece but to the first timer, it was a night they will cherish
forever and cannot wait for yet another.
The
legend is Uncle Ebo Whyte, the playwright; the event was the showing of his
latest play, Apartment N1 at the National Theatre, a tragicomedy that got the
audience laughing but still getting the message of ‘the evil that one does will
come back to haunt you’.
Indicative
of his plays, this action-packed, suspense-filled and humour-laden play got
every patron, privileged to be invited to the premiere, clapping and cheering
unceasingly.
Apartment N1 is a
perfect tragicomedy delicately woven; a story in which every single person is
caught in a web helped weave him or herself.
Since
the day Joseph escaped from Portiphar’s wife, not so many men have been able to
escape the lusting desire of a desperate woman. So when Uncle Ken escaped from
the trap of Serwaah in the plush Apartment N1, little did he know it would cost
him his ministerial appointment if he allowed his animal instincts to take the
better of him.
After
escaping from Serwaah's seduction, Uncle Ken became a prime suspect when
“Serwaah” was later found murdered in her room. Apart from proving his
innocence in the murder case, Uncle Ken had to prove his faithfulness to his
wife who was the detective handling the murder case.
Also a
suspect in the case was Serwaah’s boyfriend who had had a fierce fight with her
having suspected her of infidelity.
Another
suspect was Serwaah’s close companion, Esi. In the twists of this story, it
emerged that it was Uncle Ken’s father-in-law - father of the detective - who
was rather dating Serwaah. The detective was not only stunned but confused.
As the
drama unfolds more suspects are uncovered, but who actually pulled the trigger
that sent “Serwaah” to her early grave remains a mystery for the investigator
and the key actors.
Serwaah
is part of a syndicate that specializes in blackmailing "big men" and
extorting money from them. She had been paid to seduce Uncle Ken, sleep with
him, record the act and use it destroy his political career.
But
Uncle Ken quotes Proverbs Chapter 7 and 8, and threatens to quote Psalms if the
seduction does not stop. He manages to escape. Embarrassed and ashamed, Serwaah leaves home and goes to
church to pray for her sins.
But her
best friend, Esi, working for a hit group, contracts someone else to murder
Serwaah. This man who is an uncle of
Serwaah's boyfriend, comes to Serwaah's apartment for the operation but
tragically murders his own daughter taking a rest in the apartment.
The
90-minute or so play provided audience something to laugh about and some food
for thought as well.
