top of page
Search

A Night at the Opera – Song Queen: A Pidgin Opera at Wilton’s Hall



Last night, Thursday 24th April 2025 I had the profound pleasure of attending Song Queen: A Pidgin Opera at the historic and ever-enchanting Wilton’s Music Hall in Shadwell. This wasn’t just a performance—it was a transcendental experience. A celebration of heritage, soul, rhythm, and ancestral memory that reached into the bones and stirred the spirit.


Marking its 10th anniversary, Song Queen, written and composed by the magnetic Helen Epega (aka The Venus Bushfires), is nothing short of groundbreaking. This opera defies conventional definitions—blending Nigerian Pidgin, Patois, Creole, Cockney, and even Hip-Hop vernacular with the sweeping power of classical Western opera. The result? A breathtaking, genre-defying performance that speaks directly to the soul.



From the very first note, I was captivated. The story of Kenate—her journey through love, betrayal, and ultimate redemption—was rendered through a rich tapestry of voice, movement, and sound. It wasn’t merely told; it was felt.

The stage, though at first seemingly crowded with a myriad of characters and instruments, quickly revealed itself to be an alchemical cauldron of collaboration. The steel pans sang, the African drums pulsed with ancient rhythm, the opera singers soared with heart-piercing clarity, and the dancers' bodies told stories words alone could never capture. Every element moved in symbiosis, each feeding the next in a dance of spiritual storytelling.


What struck me most was the deeply embedded spiritual essence of the piece. It wasn’t just a narrative—it was a ritual. The opera’s spiritual undercurrent called forth themes of harmony, divine love, and the sacred struggle to protect truth and peace amidst the pull of vengeance and worldly distraction. It was as though we were all being reminded, through Kenate’s journey, of our own ancestral songs—the quiet, guiding rhythms we so often forget to hear.





Helen Epega’s voice, paired with the hypnotic tones of her hang drum, was a portal—opening doorways to dimensions where past, present, and future co-exist in sound. The production, rich in Afrofuturistic texture, left us all suspended between time and space, reminded of our collective heartbeat and the ancient power of storytelling.


If you haven’t yet experienced Song Queen: A Pidgin Opera, I urge you to go. It's a triumph of culture, creativity, and consciousness—a work of art that doesn’t just entertain but transforms.


Only on for two more nights: Friday 25th April - 7.3o-pm

Saturday 26th April, 2.30pm and 7.30pm


 Tickets are going fast so book here soonest : 


Video promo: 


 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page