The September 4 premiere of "Fela!", the Off Broadway musical by Bill T. Jones, was received with outstanding reviews by the American press, which has also praised the set and costume designs bearing the signature of Romanian artists Marina Draghici, Nuclear Fairy, Irlo and Omar:

• The New York Times, September 5, 2008: Afrobeat’s King, Recrowned, by Ben Brantley
  "...the ascendancy of the music in “Fela!,” and the three-dimensional translation of it by Mr. Jones and his vibrant design team... The show is set in the Shrine, Fela’s nightclub in Lagos (vividly recreated by Marina Draghici), on the night of what he says will be his last performance there."
  "You are unlikely, though, to forget the otherworldly land that Mr. Jones conjures in a tribal ballet, artfully enhanced by Ms. Draghici’s costumes and Robert Wierzel’s lighting. It is truly heaven on earth."
  
• The Daily News, September 5, 2008: The Infectious Revel of "Fela!", by Joe Dziemianowicz
  "A visceral experience that captures Fela's spirit... The man and the country were forever linked, however, a theme emphasized as a map of Africa morphs into Fela's face."
  
• Variety, September 5, 2008: Fela!, by David Rooney
  "...an environmental staging, lining the theater walls with shanty-town corrugated iron and splashing them with naif images, Miro-esque shapes, celestial rays and iconic portraits of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and Funmilayo... All this is deftly integrated with Peter Nigrini's video projections to create a show that's invigoratingly messy, visceral and transporting."
  
• Associated Press, September 5, 2008: Music and dancing lift an exuberant 'Fela!'
  "Marina Draghici deserves special acclaim for the mural-laden set as well as the many striking, colorful costumes. She has surrounded the audience with Nigerian folk-art murals, political graffiti from the 1960s and '70s, and several projection screens on which newsreel-type footage appears. Subtitles above the stage ensure the slangy lyrics and Nigerian-accented English are clearly understood."
  
• Bloomberg News, September 5, 2008: Jones's Rousing `Fela!' Brings Singer, Gadfly to Life, by John Simon
  "Cheeky Scenery... The spectacular Romanian designer Marina Draghici has created cheekily effective scenery and unsparingly lush costumes... Peter Nigrini's video combines glimpses of tumultuous crowds with riotously Protean abstractions, including some witty figures and shapes worthy of Miro and Klee."
  
•  Metro New York, September 5, 2008: Most scrappy ‘Fela!’ loves his mom, by Elizabeth Zimmer
  "The theater on the second floor of 37 Arts is a riot of color and sound."
  
• New York Press, September 5, 2008: Bill T. Jones brings famed musician Fela Kuti's life to stage, by Susan Reiter
  "[Bill T. Jones] has created a world that explodes with color, motion and texture."
  
• The New York Post, Spetember 5, 2008: 'Tis the Most Snappy Fela, by Frank Scheck
  
• The New York Sun, September 5, 2008: Shaking Hips and Raising Fists: 'Fela!', by Eric Grode
  
• NY1, September 9, 2008: NY1 Theatre Review: Fela!, by Roma Torre
  
• Journal News, September 8, 2008: Explosive Afrobeat from Bill T. Jones, by Jacques Le Sourd
  "We'd much rather watch Jones' dancers fly through their ceaselessly inventive dances, enhanced by the interesting scenic and costume designs of Marina Draghici."
  
• TheatreScene.com, September 8, 2008: Fela!, by Simon Saltzman
  "Extravagantly costumed by designer Marina Draghini (who also designed the impressionistic setting), the dancers, some close enough to touch, bring into sharp relief the sexy, sensuous, and life-affirming pulse of Nigeria."
  
• Herald Tribune, September 16, 2008: A Most Exciting Fela!

Read all reviews at www.felaoffbroadway.com/press.html

Visit the official Fela! website

[Image: Omar, detail from the set of Fela!. Photo by Andra Matzal]