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In Craig Hatkoff words, “Whether we are talking about books, music or film, it’s all about storytelling. You get a powerful new way of connecting with people once you hear their stories.”

Allan Shioso Ikhalachi, the creator and main artiste, achieved just that through his show dubbed Dzaddylutions, which was held recently at the Kenya National Theatre (KNT) in Nairobi.

“Dzaddylutions is from Daddy Solutions. These days, dad means a lot of things in our society. Daddy could refer to a child, a father figure or to the big boys with the big cash. I merged the two words (daddy and solutions) as a way of addressing the emerging issues in our society,” Allan tells Spice.

The showcase

Through a live band musical showcase told mostly through song and occasional mime and poetry, Allan told a story that explored themes such as drug abuse, gender-based violence, the common problems faced by millennials and had love as the main theme.

“Some of the things were based on real life experiences from me and Donwill Odhiambo. We tried to make the music as real and relatable to the audience. The entire show revolved around love, but I broke it down into different segments because in love, there is heartbreak, unconditional love, agape love, platonic love, brotherly love and there is the aspect of marriage,” Allan explains.

The entire composition was a cocktail of rhumba and classical music with a touch of Afro pop. The singers, actors and dancers enhanced the storytelling through variety of artistic devices employed during directing.

“The show was a live band musical because we used other stylistic devices to tell the story. The show included a live band, mime, dance and poetry. We created a storyboard and arranged the songs in such a way that they told a story,” elaborates Andrew Smollo, the show’s director.

The show consisted of two sets with spoken word interludes, and had a total of 23 songs. You could feel the story, when music is a big part of the action; Allan literally made the story sing! “What we wanted to do is not common. Convinci ng people to watch the show was difficult. They were trying to understand what they were going to see because it was neither a play nor a concert, but we pushed on,” says Smollo.

The live musical theatre was originally planned as an album launch, however things took an unexpected turn when one of the creators, Donwill Odhiambo Kidero, aka Don passed away before its execution. After Donwill’s death, Allan admits it was hard on him. Dealing with the loss of his band mate just before they launched their new album was not easy.

 “Originally, we were three guys; one member wanted to pursue a solo career and we had to respect that. A month and a half later though, we lost Don. I shut down for a few months. It was only in early February that I decided to do this show as a way of getting closure. I got emotional on stage at one point because I have never imagined myself doing music as a solo artiste, but I had to do it, to make Don proud,” Allan intimates.

Honouring the memory

Smollo adds, “We are just glad we got to do things Don wanted and his songs are out there through Allan. I don’t know what happens in death, but I know he (Don) would be happy. The show brought us closer as a cast and we are happy we got a piece of him back through the show.”

Apart from honouring the memory of a band member, the event was also the beginning of Allan’s career as a solo artiste. He reveals: “This is a new chapter for me. It was deliberate having the shows on the weekend of Don’s birthday. It was to close that chapter through an artistic tribute to him. We are currently rebranding. Through our brand, Tontenors, I am creating a talent incubation hub. I will use it to mentor others through the brand. We will use our brand philosophy and structure to mentor others.”

The group has a number of shows planned for the rest of the year, with two in November that will be staged during the Kenya International Theatre festival (Kitfest). They also plan on staging a play addressing marriage as the main theme called Anastacia.

“We will have a rerun of the show in November during the Kifest. Before that we might do other shows within Nairobi and possibly do tours. For me, the dream has just began. This is a revolution that I have been building for a decade now. There is a new chapter of music coming and people should expect fireworks,” says Allan in ending.